Code Lyoko: Afterwards
by Lost Lantean
Summary: XANA's finally been defeated, Now what? Jeremy and Aelita have a relationship to grow. Ulrich's got his father, his grades and Sissy. Yumi's got Ulrich's confession but is it enough? What about William and Odd. What about the supercomputer?
1. Chapter 1

Authors note: This picks up in right where my previous story (Code Lyoko: Final Mission) left off. This chapter is for Jeremy and Aelita. What happened with Yumi and Ulrich comes next.

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**Kadic Academy, Aelita's dorm, Monday 8:30 PM:** Jeremy escorted Aelita back to her room and went to give her a goodnight hug, instead he found himself pulled inside and towards the bed. Aelita removed her shoes and sat down, motioning him to sit down next to her. As soon as he had Aelita hung her head and started to cry, releasing the tears she had held back earlier. All throughout the memorial dinner she had a recurring thought, that her father could have lived if not for her. If she had been stronger or smarter or,... something then he wouldn't have had to use his life energy to fuel the anti-XANA program. Instead he had to die because she didn't realize that his program would have had to be specially encrypted, or that the supercomputer would have limited resources. Maybe something in all the interfaces they didn't know about could have allowed them to defeat XANA without the loss of her father. Interfaces that she should have known about considering how long she had lived in the computer. Considering that Lyoko was so much a part of her that she could alter it with a song, could use it to reach out and touch the real world with only concentration. She was broken from her thoughts by a single question "Aelita, what's wrong?" whispered into her ear by Jeremy who had been hugging her gently ever since she started crying.

"I feel guilty about my father. I mean in a way I killed him. I know I didn't actually shoot him or anything like that but I took away all the energy that was protecting him and he died as a result" Aelita was still crying and had struggled to say those words.

"It wasn't your fault Aelita, he tricked us."

"But why. How could he do that to me. After everything we've been though. All the work you did to find him and all the effort put into trying to materialize him, he went and killed himself. How could..." Aelita choked up and was unable to continue.

"The same way you did that to me probably." Jeremy said softly.

"I... I... Jeremy when did I " Aelita's voice trailed off as she understood. After regaining some of her composure she continued "I shut off the supercomputer. I thought that my dad had ruined my life by locking me in the computer and I believed I had ruined yours just by being here..."

Jeremy interrupted her and offered his perspective on her suicide attempt. Tears formed in his eyes as he started "I can understand that. I was spending so much time working on your problems that my health was deteriorating. But you weren't ruining my life. I was happy to make those sacrifices for you because I love you. Fixing your problems was the only way I could show it at the time. When I..." He paused and when he continued his voice was broken "I saw your lifeless body on the floor I thought it was the end of my life too. And afterwards, alone in my room I felt really guilty. I had failed you, failed to save you from XANA, failed to give the life you deserved." Tears were running down his cheeks as he finished.

"Jeremy, that wasn't the reason I shut off the supercomputer. You didn't fail me, I just didn't think my life was valuable enough to allow you to continue risking yours for. It wasn't even valuable enough to allow my father to let me live it. I know differently now. Thanks to you and all of my friends."

"Your father probably felt the same way Aelita. He couldn't risk your life and ours for his. He loved you too much. He may have even felt that he didn't deserve to be in your life considering how badly he screwed it up."

"He didn't completely screw it up Jeremy, if he hadn't did what he did I wouldn't have met you, or Yumi or Ulrich or Odd. I can't even image life without any of them, especially you. Not after everything we've been though together, after all you've done for me."

"But that's your perspective, and not his." Wondering if she felt as he did after her suicide attempt Jeremy asked in gentlest, most supportive voice he could manage "Aelita, as I said I felt that your attempted suicide was my fault for not doing enough for you. Is that how you feel?"

Aelita answered truthfully "Yes, there had to be something I could have done. We had the warning. I should have" She was cut off by Jeremy.

"Trust me Aelita that's a dark path your starting down. How many times have you been mad at me because I was willing to risk our friends lives for yours? How would you have felt if one of my choices to save you had resulted in the death of Yumi or any of the others, or even someone you didn't know?"

Aelita looked at Jeremy through her tear filled eyes. His words were said with a gentleness and such regret. After a few monuments of silence Jeremy continued "He couldn't take the chance that we would have died trying to save him. He had lived his life but you hadn't gotten to live yours."

"And Aelita, I believe your father died happy knowing that you survived, that you can grow up free and clear of anything he did, that you have people who love you and will support you."

Aelita sat silent in contemplation nestled in Jeremy's warm embrace. Aelita recalled her father's final words "your life is more important than mine". It wasn't something she had truly understood until now. Jeremy had valued her life above his own and even above the lives of his friends. She had valued the lives of Jeremy and their friends above her own. That her father felt the same way made sense now that she had that perspective. And somehow she knew that he died happy, though the memory was buried by grief and guilt to the point that it seemed fake and imagined. From her understanding came forgiveness of both herself and her father. Through forgiveness came the end of her guilt and with that much of her grief left.

Seeing as she had stopped crying Jeremy pulled back and wiped away the remaining tears from her face. She looked back at him and did the same. Afterwards the pair sat in comfortable silence until just a few minutes before curfew. Jeremy reluctantly got up to leave then stopped and turned to Aelita "Will you be ok for tonight?" He asked.

"Yeah, I think so." She replied. "Um Jeremy..."

Jeremy turned back towards her, "Yes princess?"

"Earlier you um... you said you love me. I was wondering.. um... did you mean it?" Jeremy bit down his shock, had he actually said that? Yes, he had said it during their conversation. And it was truer now than it had ever been. "Yes my angel, I love you. More than anything in the world." Jeremy had just enough time to realize how good it felt to finally say those words before he was engulfed in a crushing hug.

Jim came around and pushed open Aelita's door just in time to hear her say to Jeremy "I love you too." He quietly closed the door allowing them to have their moment. Aelita loosened her grip on Jeremy enough to allow him to breath. Then she pressed her lips to his, feeling warmth flood through her body as he returned both the hug and the kiss. They stayed locked together, sharing a soft sweet kiss until their lungs demanded air. Neither Jeremy nor Aelita wanted this moment to end and stood there holding each other tightly. Aelita stared in for another kiss but Jim knocked on the door, startling the young couple and causing them to break apart. "Ok you two, curfew. Jeremy time to go to your room." Jeremy and Aelita exchanged good nights then Jeremy left Aelita's room. Jim turned to the boy and said "Congratulations, but make sure you two keep track of time while your together. You'll both be in big trouble if you end up caught together after curfew. Ok?"

"Yes sir" was Jeremy's reply as Jim walked off.


	2. Ulrich's Nightmare

**Kadic City, near Yumi's house, Monday 7:30 PM:** Ulrich and Yumi were walking towards her house alone as the rest of the group had split off and were headed back to school. Without the rest of the group an uncomfortable silence descended on them. Without conversation to occupy her mind Yumi considered her and Ulrich's relationship. He had told her he loved her as he saved her from the digital sea. She had been elated but it didn't last long as they lost Aelita's father to XANA. Now here she was, free to tell Ulrich that she loved him back and she wasn't. She looked over at Ulrich who caught her gaze and looked away, blushing. She looked forward and continued to walk in silence, wishing he would say something.

Ulrich walked alongside Yumi and allowed worry to overwhelm him. Yumi hadn't told him that she loved him and was now walking in total silence. He hoped that she would have told him how she felt. Instead there was silence. Ulrich looked over at Yumi to find her looking at him. He blushed and turned away, wondering again whether they were nothing, friends, or something more. There was only the silence between them.

That silence was shattered by the ring of Ulrich's phone. He groaned as he looked at the screen and saw that it was his father. "Hi Dad" he said, clearly unhappy.

"Ulrich, we need to talk about your grades and your future." Mr. Stern said.

"Um yeah sure but..."

"No. No buts. I've had enough of this. I spoke with the principal and he says that you've made no attempt to improve your grades. What do you have to say for yourself?" Mr. Stern questioned angrily.

"Well dad I'm..."

The response didn't come fast enough and Ulrich's dad cut him off "So you need time to come up with an excuse do you? I'm sure those loser friends of yours are to blame."

Ulrich yelled into the phone "They're not losers, they've treated me better than you ever have."

"Have they. HAVE THEY. Have they paid a small fortune to send you to a boarding school? Have they supported you since you were a little baby? Maybe they've worked hard to ensure that you would have a great job in the corporate world. NO. well then they haven't really taken care of you have they" Mr. Stern yelled back.

"Gee thanks dad, Boarding school so that you can show off to all of your rich friends without having to worry about watching over a kid. And you've lined up a job for me. I'm sure it something that you can use to show off." Ulrich yelled.

"The Stern family legacy is something you should be proud of."

"The Stern family legacy" Ulrich scoffed "More like how can I show off to all my so called friends that I'm better than they are."

"Ok That's enough, you're coming home as soon as I can get a flight out there and back!"

"WHAT!? You can't do that, I won't let you."

"The hell I can't. You're still a child so I own you. I can do whatever I want with you. You're coming home with me."

"Ok Dad" Ulrich spat the word "Maybe your right. Of course you had better be ready for the embarrassment of your life. I'll flunk out wherever you put me and I'll make sure that everyone knows why."

The threat stopped Mr. Stern for a second and when he resumed speaking he sounded much calmer. "Ok, you can stay at Kadic for the rest of the semester. Then you'll come back home and we'll find a more appropriate school for you."

Ulrich countered, also sounding much calmer "What about my friends, I want to stay with them."

"With your grades you don't have time for friends. That's why I want you out of Kadic. You obviously can't handle having school and those loser friends of yours. You're a Stern so it's not that you can't make straight As."

"Hey, there not losers. Two of my friends are the top two students at..."

Ulrich was cut off by his father "Then why aren't you doing better?"

"Because I have issues that you wouldn't"

Again, Ulrich was cut off by his father "I was fourteen once too, I still made straight As in school. All you need is to get rid of those losers"

This time Ulrich cut his father off "You don't even know them, stop condemning them."

Ulrich heard the sound of his mother's voice and then heard the sound of a quick argument though he couldn't understand what was being said. His father came back on the line after a few minutes "Ok, We'll be arranging to fly in sometime after midterms to meet your friends and review your progress. If I'm convinced that you are making progress and that your friends are worthy I'll let you stay on at Kadic."

Ulrich considered, It wasn't likely that he'd get a better deal but then it would be nearly impossible to please his father. On the other hand the longer he stayed away from his father the better. "Ok, deal." Ulrich said as he hung up the phone.

Yumi looked over at Ulrich "So what's going on?" she asked.

"Nothing" he grumbled.

"I overheard enough of the conversation to know that it's not nothing." Yumi said, getting a little angry at his lie.

Since Ulrich didn't answer her she said "Ok fine, I'll tell you what I think is going on here. Your father has finally reached the end of his rope with your grades and wants to take you out of school. Sound about right." Anger plain in her voice now.

"Fine" Ulrich said, frustration apparent in his voice "Your right but he agreed to evaluate my progress and meet you guys. Then he'll decide to take me out of school." He went from frustrated to hopeless as he finished speaking.

"You know it's not over. Jeremy, Aelita, and I can help you study."

"Sure, but after he meets Odd he'll yank me from school for sure." There was still defeat in his voice.

"You can't know that, and you had better not be giving up on me."

"On you?" Ulrich questioned, a bit surprised.

"Yes Ulrich on Me. You said that you loved me on Lyoko. Did you mean it?" Yumi's voice was now tinged with sadness. They had been at this point before and each had backed down. She was hoping for something else but preparing for more of the same.

"Yumi I..." Ulirch hesitated, then continued very uncertain "I do but"

"But, Ulrich... You. love. me. BUT!" She yelled out. "You know what, go... Just go... Get back to school and consider what you want for your future. If it's me then you had better be prepared to fight for it. And if can't then call your father and tell him to take you home now." When Yumi finished she was crying. She ran off towards home, ignoring Ulrich calling to her.

--

**Yumi's house, Yumi's bedroom, 7:57 PM:** She had managed to collect herself and make it up to her room without anyone noticing that she had been crying. She took an early shower and let herself cry, her tears lost in the hot water. Afterwards she went straight into her room, locked the door and busied herself with whatever she could come up with. Now after cleaning every surface in her room, rearranging all of her school notes and books, reviewing her past tests and studying it was 10:00 PM. With nothing else to do she laid down on her bed trying and failing to not think about Ulrich.

Everybody she knew except Sissy (and she didn't count) said that Ulrich loved her. She wasn't so sure, he acted indifferent at times, mean at others but on some occasions he was very nice to her. The mixed signals were confusing and had led to far too many fights. But now he had told her he loved her and there was supposed to be no doubt. But there was. He thought he might be dying at the time and people sometimes said things they didn't mean under that type of stress. But he had treated her differently over the course of the day. Then came the phone call from his father. When it came time to prove that he loved her what did he do, he backed down again. Jeremy had stood up to a murderous computer virus for the love of his life. Ulrich would die for her, ending all of his problems in a single noble sacrifice, but he couldn't live for her? What kind of love was that? She sighed and tried to sleep. Ulrich haunted her thoughts and sleep was fitful at best.

--

**Kadic Acadmy, Ulrich and Odds room, 8:28 PM:** Odd greeted Ulrich who replied with a low mumble then grabbed his shower bag and left. After showering and changing he returned to his room and collapsed unto his bed. "Don't tell me you and Yumi fought." Odd said.

"More like me and my father." Ulrich replied, hoping to keep the full truth from Odd.

"Oh, well isn't it just like parents to go and spoil all their kids fun. So what did he want this time?" Odd asked.

"To yell at me." Ulrich relied. His mood suggested that there was something more going on.

"Come on Ulrich, it had to be worse than that... Wait! You and Yumi didn't get into another fight did you?" Odd was studying Ulrich's face as he asked the question hoping to determine which question got the bigger response.

Ulrich's face did betray him, and Odd assumed the question about Yumi was the reason for his reaction. Odd continued "You did. You know there aren't going to be any more XANA battles or returns to the past to help you two make up. You'd"

Ulrich cut him off, anger in his voice "It doesn't matter. There's no more Yumi, or you or Jeremy or Aelita or Sissy. No more Kadic. Nothing. My father is taking me out of school." He was yelling now.

Odd shrank back in fear and shock, and it took a couple of minutes for Odd to recover after Ulrich's tirade. Once he had he walked over to Ulrich and put a hand on his shoulder "I'm sorry man, I had no idea. Is there anything we can do?"

Ulrich answered him his words dripping with sarcasm. "Oh yeah. My father said that if he met and liked you guys and if my grades improved enough then I'd be able to stay."

Odd ignored the way he said it and chose to look at the positive. "So than you can study and we can all impress your father when he comes down to meet us. Simple."

"No Odd, it's not simple." Ulrich yelled. "Do you have any idea what it would take to impress my father. Nothing short of a miracle. It's hopeless" Ulrich continued, his voice going from loud and angry to small and defeated in the last two words.

"A miracle huh? Well if I thought they would want to be interrupted I'd drag you, kicking and screaming if I had to, up to Aelita's room and make you ask her about miracles." Odd yelled back at Urlich.

"Aelita, what the hell's she got to do with this. She doesn't even need to know about this right now. She's got enough to deal with." Ulrich said matching Odd's tone and volume.

"Everything you idiot. What the hell do you call her being here right now if not a miracle. XANA didn't just give us Aelita and delete itself. Jeremy made all of that happen, with our help."

"Odd, XANA wasn't my father. My father"

Odd interrupted him 'Your father can go straight to hell for all I care. And as for you, Ulrich" Odd spat out his name "You, the great warrior of Lyoko." Sarcasm laced those words. "Ha. Jeremy's braver and stronger than you. He never gave up on Aelita. Not after XANA bound her to itself. Not after she tried to kill herself. Not after their fights." Odd was yelling now "Not ever! "

Ulrich slumped down on his bed, Odd's words having hit a nerve. He was thinking that Odd was right, that his father was right, that he was a failure.

Odd watched Ulrich's reaction and regretted his choice of words. He realized that he had just fed into Ulrich's greatest fear. "What have I done?" flashed through Odds mind over and over as he watched Ulrich settle into his bed.

"Ulrich" Odd said softly was he put his hand again on his friends shoulder "I didn't mean it that way. You're not a total failure I mean upstairs there are two people who are, now and forever, living testaments to that fact."

Getting no response he continued "Both Jeremy and Aelita will help you get your grades up and I can study and be a proper best friend, someone ever your father can like. Come on Ulrich, don't give up."

"Odd, just go away and leave me alone."

"Ok, fine Ulrich. Go ahead and sulk. When you're ready to fight for the life you want then let the rest of us know. We'll all be glad to help you make another miracle happen." Odd said softly in reply. He grabbed his shower kit and headed out the door.

Odd returned to find Ulrich sitting at his desk looking at a picture of Yumi. "You know, that's a powerful motivator you've got there. Just say the word and we'll all jump to your corner buddy."

"And if my father still decides to take me away?" Ulrich asked solemnly.

"Then our two resident geniuses will come up with an alternative plan. I think Aelita's very existence is proof of what they can accomplish when they put their minds to something." Odd answered.

"Ok, Odd. Tomorrow at breakfast I'll tell them what's happened."

"That's the spirit buddy." Odd said smiling brightly.

"Tomorrow is not going to be a good day" Ulrich thought as he went to sleep.


	3. It gets worse

Author's note: This story diverges from canon by assuming that Jeremy and Yumi have known each other from before Lyoko and did not meet in the first XANA attack as shown on the show.

To my three reviewers, Thank you very much.

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**Kadic Academy, Aelita's dorm, Tuesday 7:30 AM:** Jeremy knocked on Aelita's door and waited for her to answer. "Good morning my love" Jeremy said when she opened the door. Her cheeks took on the same shade of red as Jeremy's as she answered "Good morning and I love you too." Aelita closed her door and locked it, slipping the keys into her pocket then taking Jeremy's hand. Together they walked hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder down to the cafeteria talking softly to each other about what to do for their first date. Quite a few heads turned when they entered the cafeteria but few were actually surprised to see them together. After making their way through the food line they found the usual table and sat down, eating breakfast while they waited for Ulrich and Odd.

Sissy walked over to Jeremy and Aelita's table, having noticed their entrance and feeling a bit jealous. "You know I really don't understand what you two see in each other. I mean Aelita you should know that Jeremy is much more interested in his computer than you. And Jeremy why would you want a girl so pathetic that she has to wake you up in the middle of the night to talk about her bad dreams. Then again she's to whiney to ever keep another boy and your too much of a nerd to get a real woman. Never mind, now I understand perfectly just forget I asked."

Aelita looked over at Jeremy, hurt plain on her face. Sissy had just hit the sorest spot Aelita had ever had. She needed so much from Jeremy, between the work on materializing her, to defeating XANA, to supporting her both emotionally and financially. At times she felt like a terrible burden to him.

"Aelita?" Jeremy whispered softly, breaking her chain of thought.

"Jeremy, what if she's" Aelita started off.

Jeremy stopped her with a gentle squeeze of her shoulder . "No, Aelita, I don't want to hear you say it. She's wrong. Sissy has never known true love save that of her father. If she did then she'd know that I'm happy to have you call me when you need to. That no matter what I'll always be there to love and support you and further I'll be glad that's it's me and not someone else you turn to."

"Jeremy, I... Still you've done so much, endured so much for me. It just doesn't seem right. " Aelita said sadly.

Jeremy sighed "Maybe so. But then again maybe everything that's happened has been for the best. The truth is that Sissy was right about me. I could never have gotten a girl like you on my own. And fighting XANA has given me a strength and confidence that I would never have found otherwise."

Aelita's expression brightened as she considered and finally she was smiling at Jeremy. "You know I love you right?" She finished her question with a quick peck on his cheek.

"I know, and I love you too." Both of them now had bright red cheeks.

Odd and Ulrich, noticing that their two friends seemed to be finished sharing their moment sat down at the table. Ulrich was desperately trying to hide his disgust at their little show. Odd didn't notice but did spare Ulrich from being noticed by bringing attention to himself "So I take it you two had a good evening last night."

Aelita, not missing a beat and ignoring the still rising temperature of her cheeks replied "Yes, all in all a very good evening. I learned a couple of very important things last night."

Odd raised his eyebrows. "A couple huh. I think I can guess one. What was the other?" Odd asked in his most accusing voice.

"It was about my father, an understanding of why he chose to sacrifice himself." Aelita replied with an edge of sorrow.

Odd's smile faltered, that had not been the answer he was expecting. "Oh, Um well... I..." Not knowing what to say to that he stopped trying.

"It's ok Odd, you had no way of knowing." Aelita offered. She turned her attention to Ulrich "So Ulrich, how was your evening?"

Though Ulrich managed to hide it, he was still disgusted with himself. He had felt jealous when he saw Jeremy and Aelita say they loved each other with such ease. It was made worse by knowing that even if his father allowed him to stay at kadic he and Yumi might never reach that point. That final thought put a frown on his face that he just couldn't hide.

Aelita looked to Odd "Whats wrong with him?"

"Well"

Before Odd could get any further Ulrich interrupted "Don't say anything Odd" he growled.

"Hey! we had a deal" Odd exclaimed. "You were going to tell them about"

"Shut it Odd" Ulrich warned.

"You know Ulrich, now I'm really curious and I'll bet Yumi will tell me what happened last night if I call and ask" Aelita said softly waving her cell phone for emphasis.

Getting no response she held the phone out towards him and slowly pressed the two key. Her phone's display showed Yumi's number then began to dial. "Ok" Ulrich said, "I'll tell you." Aelita pushed the end call key and put away her phone as Ulrich started his explanation.

"My father called last night, he said that he would be taking me out of school at the end of the semester"

Everyone could tell how much that admission had hurt him. Aelita got up and went over to Ulrich and gave him a hug. "Is there anything we can do?" she asked softly.

"He said I might be able to stay if I get my grades up and if he meets and likes all of you." Ulrich sounded defeated.

"That's not so bad" Jeremy said "Aelita and I can help with your classes and I'm pretty sure we can all become presentable people."

"That's not the point" Ulrich just about yelled "There's no pleasing my father. Nothing I do is ever good enough." There was still defeat in his voice.

"Well then I'm sure Yumi will get over you eventually." Odd put in "I bet William will make her forget about you real quick."

Odd would have gotten a punch in the face for his comment but Aelita saved him by putting a restraining hand on Ulrich's shoulder. Using her most soothing voice Aelita said "Jeremy and I owe you more than we can ever hope to repay. We'll do everything in our power to help you. And we do have quite a bit of power at our disposal, including the ability to reverse time."

"That doesn't really help with"

Ulrich was interrupted by Odd "It helped with my grades that one time."

Without bringing up his troubles with Yumi he was out of excuses and finally submitted "Ok, I'll work with you and try to stay here."

"Great" Aelita exclaimed, returning to Jeremy. "We'll work out a plan tonight with Yumi. I'm sure she'll want to help keep you motivated" Aelita said with a smirk. Ulrich rolled his eyes, inside he was not looking forward to this. With that they finished breakfast and went to their first class.

--

**Kadic Academy, Front gates, Tuesday 8:00 AM:** Yumi arrived at Kadic to find William waiting for her "Good morning Yumi, how are you?" he greeted.

"Just fine. Thanks for asking" she snapped.

"You don't sound fine." William replied. "Did you and Ulrich fight after we left you two last night" He asked.

"No." She lied as she started to walk away.

William ran after Yumi and tapped on her the shoulder, narrowly escaping having his arm caught and twisted around behind his back. "What do you want William?" Yumi asked angrily.

"An answer, just an honest answer" William replied, keeping his voice level.

"And the question?" Yumi asked, sounding impatient on top of angry.

"How come you're so attached to Ulrich when he's incapable of showing that he cares?"

The question stung Yumi, bringing back everything she had managed to bury last night. Ulrich could care, he had comforted her when her parents were fighting, would fight for her, would die for her. But whenever he felt hurt he retreated, unless it involved her. Then he attacked her with the most effective weapon he could find, her own heart. She hadn't really made things between them any better though, she tended to do the exact same thing. Now it was coming back to bite both of them, hard.

"Yumi?" William called, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"I... " She fell silent, she didn't have an answer and didn't want to say it.

"You know I love you and I'll never have any trouble proving that to you or to anyone else." William said to fill in the silence.

She had heard that line before. Enough times to know that he meant it. But could she trust him? It was so easy for William to say that, did that mean he was really, really in love or did it mean that he really didn't care and thought she'd be a nice trophy for a while. She was trapped, caught between the emotionally abusive Ulrich (although that wasn't totally fair since she could be just as bad) and William who she just couldn't bring herself to trust. She started to walk away but could feel William walking after her.

He caught up to her and stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Look Yumi, I know you and Ulrich have been through a lot together but is that really love? "

Yumi growled and grabbed his hand, twisting his arm behind his back in a single, lightening quick movement. She kicked the back of his knee, sending him down to the ground. Then she ran off trying to escape the confusion he had reawakened. This had been so much easier in the past. In a way XANA was healing. The focus and worry and adrenaline of facing XANA seemed to make everything different. Their other problems were small by comparison and now? Now it wasn't there, nothing to take her mind off of the negatives of her relationship with Ulrich.

The sound of a bell brought her back to herself. Classes were starting, she suddenly realized. Swearing under her breath she ran back towards the science building and her first class. Perhaps someone could help her sort this out. All she had to do is get up the nerve to ask.

--

**Kadic Academy, Science building, Tuesday, Lunchtime:** Aelita looked over at Jeremy as his cell phone began to ring. Releasing Aelita's hand he took it out of his pocket and looked at the display "Hi Yumi" he said after flipping it open.

"Hi Jeremy, Um if you don't mind could you meet me at your room, I've got something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Sure, no problem" Jeremy replied then hung up. He looked over to Aelita "Yumi wants to meet me at my room to talk."

"About?" Aelita asked, curious.

"She didn't say, she sounded stressed though. Probably about Ulrich leaving. She didn't hear us convince him to try and stay so maybe she's worried."

"Well tell her not to worry, as long as Ulrich is willing to work we can get him up to speed with his classes." As an afterthought she added "If you two don't make it back to the cafeteria I'll save something for the both of you."

Jeremy looked at Aelita and gave her a peck on the cheek, enjoying the feeling of doing that even as his cheeks stared burning, "Thanks princess, see you at our next class if not before."

Sissy overheard enough of that to allow her mind to formulate a plan. All she had to do was enter the cafeteria from the direction of the dorms and find Ulrich.

--

**Kadic Academy, Cafeteria, Tuesday, Lunchtime:** Aelita found her way to the usual table and found Sissy talking to Ulrich. "... With Jeremy. You know it makes perfect sense when you think about it. They're both intelligent and she is more mature than Aelita."

"Hi Ulrich, Elizabeth." Aelita greeted, slightly stressing Sissy's given name.

"Its Sissy. But I guess since you just lost your boyfriend I can let that one go." She replied smugly.

"Oh, hey Aelita..." Ulrich replied, uncertain of what more he should say.

"Come on Ulrich, Aelita probably wants to be alone right now." Sissy said as she pulled on Ulrich's shirt.

"Ulrich you can't possibly believe that Jeremy would do that to the both of us." Aelita said, now angry with Sissy.

"What's so difficult about believing that he and Yumi are a couple. He's known her longer than you and she's more mature. She's not exactly the kind of catch that I am but then it's not like Jeremy could ever get a girl like me." Sissy was clearly having fun with this.

"Like he'd want someone as fake and shallow as you. And if a girl can't look past his appearance to see the man behind the glasses then they don't deserve to have him." Aelita retorted. She turned her attention to Ulrich "Jeremy is talking with his oldest friend and he will be rejoining with me later. As for you." Now Aelita was glaring at him "Are you really going to trust Sissy more than Jeremy and Yumi?"

"You both know how close those two are. Is it really that hard to believe that they'd eventually be more than friends?" Sissy asked calmly.

Ulrich was starting to look convinced. Aelita shook her head in disbelief. "Ulrich you can't really believe Sissy, can you? Haven't you been through this enough times to know that she'd say anything to get her hands on you?"

"Aelita I know it's hard for you, especially after this morning but" Ulrich started.

"I don't believe this" she said harshly, "Come on Ulrich" disdain creeping into her voice "I suppose we just have to do this the hard way."

With that she pulled Ulrich towards the exit and then to the dorms. Sissy followed at a discreet distance, trying to formulate a way to turn this to her advantage. Aelita led Ulrich to Jeremy's door and crossed her fingers as she gently and silently pushed it open. Sissy hung back trying to determine what was going on inside from the reactions of Ulrich and Aelita. Aelita's mind was racing as the door swung slowly open. She was violating the privacy of her boyfriend and de facto sister to reassure Ulrich because of Sissy and now that she was here it seemed like a much worse idea than it had when she left the cafeteria.

Sissy came up and spoke loudly "What's the matter Aelita, Ulrich? You surprised to learn that I was right when I said that Jeremy and Yumi had decided to start a relationship right under your noses."

Both Jeremy and Yumi jerked up and turned around to face the now open door. Seeing the guilt and apology in Aelita's expression Jeremy flashed her a reassuring smile silently accepting her apology and telling her that he was not upset, with her anyway. Yumi had at least a little sympathy for Aelita but she was staring daggers at Ulrich. He started to apologize but Yumi was now beyond words. She turned away, ignoring everyone. Jeremy put his hand on her shoulder and tried to console her. Aelita reached in and pulled the door closed.

Sissy called sweetly to Ulrich and it sounded like nails on a chalkboard to Aelita. "Ulrich stop!" Aelita commanded. He stopped and turned around, surprised at the tone she had just used. Ulrich shivered under a gaze that any of XANA's blocks would have been proud to have as their freeze ray. Her normally inviting green eyes had taken an ugly color that reminded him of the absolute worst thunderstorms. Her smile, once broad and bright was now a small, dark frown frozen on her face. Her whole body was tense with anger.

Aelita looked past Ulrich to Sissy who shrank away from her stare. Far more calmly than should have been possible given her appearance Aelita said "Get out of my sight before I beat you into something your father wouldn't recognize." Sissy didn't need to be told twice and took off running. Ulrich considered running after her but stayed put as Aelita returned her gaze to him.

"You can go after Sissy if you want" Aelita began "Or you can stay and try to fix this mess." Now the anger was starting to reach her voice "Staying is not going to be easy. In fact convincing Yumi that you even deserve to be her friend will probably make pleasing your father look easy." Now she was just about yelling "And if you aren't up for that then leave now and don't come back."

Ulrich had the 'deer caught in headlights' look as his eyes met the floor. "This might really be it" he thought as he considered. He had just proven beyond any doubt that he would trust Sissy over Yumi, over Jeremy and over Aelita. He looked down the empty hallway where Sissy had retreated after Aelita's threat. He looked back at Aelita then towards Jeremy's closed door. Sissy would welcome him with open arms. The retired Lyoko warriors on the other hand would treat him with suspicion and caution. If he could manage that he just might get the girl of his dreams. If he couldn't he could turn and go to Sissy, hoping that she would turn out to be the kind, brave girl he knew she could be. "This isn't fair. Yumi's hurt me too, believing Sissy over me and using William to hurt me."

"True enough and if it was you and me talking in my room and Jeremy and Yumi getting caught spying then they'd be the ones having this conversation. But it wasn't. So what is your decision?" Aelita replied calmly. Ulrich noticed that her stance had softened and her eyes were returning to normal. She was still giving him a hard, cold stare though.


	4. Formation of a plan

**Kadic Academy, Jeremy's dorm, Lunchtime:** Jeremy looked up and into the taller girls eyes, wondering if she could see just how hard this was going to be. "Before you condemn Ulrich completely consider that you've been the same way at times."

"I know, Jeremy. Believe me I know." She replied sadly and shaking her head. "And now..." Her voice trailed off.

Still holding eye contact Jeremy said "Yumi you can talk to me. I've known you longer than anyone else in our group and I know what kind of heart you have under that tough shell of really hurt and I can see it. And you won't heal without help."

Yumi considered. She had indeed known Jeremy longer than the rest of the group and finally decided that she could, and needed to, open up to him. Hesitantly she started out "Ok, I... Um, Jeremy, where do I start?"

"Where ever you're most comfortable."

"But I'm not comfortable at all Jeremy. I'm the one who gives advice. I'm the one who is supposed to be helping you and Aelita. Or Odd and whoever."

Jeremy chuckled "Odd and whoever. You know helping Odd with girls is a lost cause, right?"

"Is that why I feel so frustrated?" Yumi replied only partially joking.

"No" Jeremy replied. "You're probably frustrated because you expected to be able to tell Ulrich how you feel and can't. And because you really don't want to feel anything for William but since you run to him when there's trouble with Ulrich you're wondering if there is something there."

"I can't tell Ulrich because of William?" Yumi asked, a bit surprised at Jeremy's analysis.

"No that's only part of it. You also wonder if there's anything between him and Sissy. "

"That isn't very helpful, that's all stuff I could have told you."

"Well, if you wanted something you couldn't have told me you should have come to me with a computer problem."

"Yeah, right. Thanks Jeremy." Yumi replied sarcastically.

Jeremy frowned "In all seriousness though, both you and Ulrich have inflected far too much pain on each other. You want to tell Ulrich you love him but every memory of him with Sissy, of him running to Sissy when William makes an advance on you, it makes you wonder how love can last. Then you have William and I have to wonder. Why go to him whenever Ulrich or Sissy hurts you?"

Yumi looked over Jeremy "So how do I fix this?"

"You didn't answer the question. Why go to William when your hurt?"

"I don't have an answer for that."

"Yes you do, you just don't want to admit it."

"I just want to know how to fix this Jeremy. I didn't come here to be psychoanalyzed."

"Yes you did." Jeremy replied flatly. "But now that your here you're finding it to be so much harder than you anticipated."

Yumi sat down on one of the computer chairs in the room. "At first it was a good way to get even with Ulrich. He hurt me, I hurt him. It's childish but, the thing is it worked. He was always nicer to me afterwards. It became a habit, just a thing we did. The consequences didn't matter, there was always a XANA attack to pull us back together, show us just how good we were together."

"Like a drug." Jeremy said, remembering the time he had tried to use the return to the past program to boost his cognitive ability. The effect was impressive at first but gradually destroyed his mind, making him push away Aelita when he had needed her most. "Remember when you had to rescue me from that contraption I used to boost my brainpower with the return to the past program?"

"I'd prefer not to. You really scared all of us with that one. Did you even realize what you were doing to yours..." Yumi stopped, suddenly seeing the point. He had used the device to try and save Aelita. Instead he had hurt her. She wanted Ulrich to express his feelings and seeing him jealous and willing to fight for her was almost like hearing him say he loved her. But it was poison to both of them, sowing mistrust and artificially inflating feelings towards William and Sissy while simultaneously giving them the wrong ideas. Yumi began to cry.

"Yumi, what are you thinking?" Jeremy asked quietly, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"How stupid I was. I couldn't tell him, I was afraid so I..." her voice trailed off.

"You used William to get a show of Ulrich's true feelings?"

"Yes" Yumi replied, her voice choked with sorrow and loss.

"Yumi, it's not entirely your fault. Ulrich's done the exact same thing."

"Yes. But now what. Is there any way to fix this Jeremy?"

Yumi could almost see the apology in Jeremy's blue eyes as he said "There's no way for you alone to fix this. It's something that both you and Ulrich will have to fix together."

"How, when Ulrich can't trust me and I can't trust him." Yumi asked.

"Yumi, we've all been through more in the past couple of years then many will face in their entire lives. Maybe what you and Ulrich need is a vacation. Take time away from each other and use that time to settle your emotions. I can't make either of you forget the past but if you both can let go of it then maybe you two can start again."

"And what about William and Sissy?"

"They'll still be William and Sissy. The rest of us will try to help but we can't keep either of them away." Jeremy paused and took a breath then continued "Ulrich's probably going to hate me for this but you might consider giving whatever feelings you have for William an honest look as well. If there's something there it might be best to know that before it comes between you and Ulrich or before William gives up and you regret it."

"So after all this" Yumi said gesturing to her tears "your advice is to go home, pretend Ulrich doesn't exist and think about William!?" Her voice beginning to show some anger.

"No I suggest you sort out what and how you feel about Ulrich and William and try to separate it from the game you've been playing with them. If, without everything you two have inflicted on each other, you still feel you can't trust Ulrich then you can't have a successful relationship. If you can learn to trust him and think he can trust you then start dating and try to make it work."

"And if not then let him go?" Yumi said sadly but also with understanding and finality.

Jeremy just nodded, there was nothing more to say.

--

**Kadic Academy, Outside Jeremy's dorm, Lunchtime:** "Aelita I really want Yumi. She's like no one else I've ever met but this is it. How can I get her back after this?" Ulrich said as he started to walk off.

"You don't want to find out what Jeremy's telling Yumi?" Aelita asked, not yet needing to raise her voice.

"Why?" Ulrich turned and snapped at her. "What could he tell her other than leave me and find someone who can be trusted, who can trust her." Ulrich snapped back.

Aelita looked back towards Jeremy's door. "You're probably right about the last part. I guess it's up to you if you can be both trusting and trustworthy. That's not all it'll take, but it's a start."

"How?" Ulrich asked.

Aelita looked at him strangely, unsure how to answer. She and Jeremy had been through some rough times and they were mostly his fault. But there was never any bad intent behind those fights. The responsibility of supporting her and fighting XANA and saving her father weighed heavily on him. It was a burden that she understood that perfectly, since it was one that she felt herself. Any consequences of a XANA attack would be her fault just as much as they would have been Jeremy's. "I don't have an answer for you Ulrich. I can't say that Jeremy and I have had a perfect relationship but we've never tried deliberately harming one another. And before you ask, no the fake kiss with Odd doesn't count. Neither does Jeremy's short lived attraction to Sissy's cousin."

"What about the time you and Odd went to Lyoko together after the fight with Jeremy?" Ulrich accused.

"I needed evidence for Jeremy. And yes I did briefly consider Odd, until he reminded me that Jeremy 'really liked' me." Aelita stressed the words really and liked to make it clear that that there was more to that phrase.

"Great, so no help from you then."

"Sorry." Aelita replied with sincerity. With that she went over to the wall beside Jeremy's door and sat down cross-legged on the floor and leaned back against the wall. "You can have a seat and wait for them" she said as she gestured to the wall beside her.

Ulrich looked at Jeremy's closed door, wondering just what was going on in there. He looked back to Aelita. She was now calm, the anger having left her. He looked back towards the door then down the hall. He still had the same two choices, stay and try to win back Yumi or go and forget her. Aelita had given him nothing to make that decision any easier. In fact, all she did was make it harder. She and Jeremy were going to be real couple, dating and talking easily and hugging and kissing. They would remind him of everything he wouldn't be getting while he tried to fix things with Yumi. Of course he could go join Sissy's little gang. She would give him all of that attention, and she could be a nice person at times. But in the end she wasn't Yumi. Ulrich sat down beside Aelita "I'll wait for Yumi."

--

The door opened, and both Yumi and Jeremy stepped out. Aelita greeted Jeremy with a hug, which he gladly returned, and an apology. Jeremy pulled her down the hall and accepted her apology. They went down to the cafeteria together and Aelita didn't ask what had happened in his room. If Yumi wanted to tell her she would. If Jeremy needed to tell her he would. Otherwise, if what happened needed to stay between him and Yumi that was fine with her.

"You're not even curious?" Jeremy asked a bit playfully as they sat down to what remained of lunch in the cafeteria.

"I am, but once we got back on campus all you needed to hear about the fake kiss with Odd was that it really was fake. I assume you and Yumi had a good chat?"

"We did. Enlightening and hopefully it will help those two get a fresh start."

"Then that's all I need to know." Aelita said before returning her attention to lunch.

Jeremy smiled back at Aelita, enjoying knowing that she trusted him as he trusted her.

--

Ulrich looked at Yumi and wondered, again, what had happened in Jeremy's room. Yumi's eyes were puffy and dark, and there were traces of tears on her cheeks. Her normally proud and tall posture was gone, replaced by a bowed head and slumped shoulders. She looked at Ulrich through sad and distressed eyes "We need to talk."

Those were words he had hoped he'd never hear again. "I assume we can use Jeremy's room?" Ulrich managed to keep his voice level.

Yumi nodded and followed Ulrich in then shut the door. "We can't keep doing this to each other" she said flatly, straining to keep her voice from breaking.

"Then what do you suggest?" Ulrich asked, defeated.

"I suggest we stop. Jeremy thinks we should take a little vacation from each other. Use the time to consider and sort out our feelings. If after that you think you can trust me and I think I can trust you we can try starting again."

"So Jeremy did tell you to break up with me." Ulrich was getting angry and it showed in his voice.

"Ulrich, what do you think I meant when I said that we can't keep doing this to each other?" Yumi asked annoyed.

"Not trusting each other."

"No, he thinks that we've been using Sissy and William to confirm our feelings. I hurt you, you go to Sissy, you see me jealous of Sissy and willing to fight to get you back, you know I love you. It works the same way with me."

"Yumi, you love me?" Shock apparent in Ulrich's voice.

"Yes, but we've both poisoned this love with our attempts to force it out into the open. And now..." Yumi paused, gathering her strength for what she was about to say "now we need to take a step back and see if we can develop the trust we both need."

"Yumi, why? Now that I know I can"

Yumi cut him off "You can't change overnight, neither can I. We've always relied on XANA to pull us back together regardless of what happened. There's no more XANA, no more returns to the past. If we screw this up there may not be another chance. I can't risk it, can you?"

As Ulrich considered Yumi started to speak again. "Suppose we left this room, went to the cafeteria and declared our love for each other. Would you really trust me if you saw me talking to William at dinner?"

"Of course I would" Ulrich said with fake confidence. Yumi looked into his eyes but he couldn't meet hers. The thought of her even being friends with William was still eating him up even though he wasn't about to admit it. He realized that it was a trap, proof that he was still going to lie to her.

Yumi shook her head "I want us to work. I really do but it can't, not like this. You won't trust me to be true to you. You won't trust me to be understanding that you're human and will have jealousy and anger and pride, and all those other potentially dangerous emotions. Ulrich do me a favor will you."

Now it was Ulrich's turn to break "Yumi don't ask, please." He pleaded.

"I have to. Let me have a week or two. For what it's worth this isn't going to be easy on me. Use the time to study and improve your grades. When we come back together we can start again. Leave everything in the past and see if it works."

Ulrich looked at Yumi, he supposed he didn't deserve easy. Jeremy and Aelita didn't have it easy. Odd did but then his relationships lasted a number of weeks. "Ok, I'll give you your space. Just stay away from William, will you."

"I'm not your property. You can't tell me who my friends are. Do you still not see why I don't think this can work out if things just stay the same" Yumi yelled.

"Then I hope you don't expect me to stay away from Sissy." Ulrich retorted.

Yumi calmed herself with several slow breaths, this fight was not what she wanted. "Ulrich, we've been through too much, more than many would experience throughout their entire lives, in fact. Now we need time to recover and I'd like to do that with you. Thing is all we end up doing is fighting over William and Sissy. Please, trust me to come back to you and let me trust you to be there when I'm ready."

"Ok, fine. If that's the way you want it then fine." Ulrich stormed out the door.

--

**Kadic Academy, Cafeteria, Dinner:** Ulrich sat down at the usual table with Jeremy, Aelita and Odd and began picking at his food. Aelita looked over at him and said "Come on, Ulrich it can't be that bad" as she started eating her spaghetti.

Ulrich gave her a disgusted look and replied "Yes it can."

"Oh come on buddy, it's not like you and Yumi having it out hasn't happened before." Odd said, guessing about the root of Ulrich's problems since the food was ok, judging by the way the others were eating.

"Fights and breakups may be old had to you but" Ulrich shut up as he realized what he had just said.

"Yumi didn't break up with you." Jeremy replied harshly.

Sissy butted in "You sure Jeremy? I mean if she doesn't want to be around you, Ulrich dear then I'd say it's her loss. Come over to my table, I'll give you all the attention you could ever want."

"Sounds tempting, can I come too?" Odd asked, staring at her with a fake pout.

"Hmph, none of my friends want to smell those feet of yours. Besides you get all the attention you need from that stupid dog of yours." Sissy replied.

"Ulrich needs to study, Elizabeth." Jeremy cut into the conversation.

Sissy glared at him and would have responded if her father had not joined the conversation. "Mr Stern, might I have a moment of your time?"

"Of course sir." Ulrich replied.

--

**Kadic Academy, Odd's room, 8:37 PM:** Ulrich got back to his room to find Jeremy, Aelita and Odd waiting for him. On speakerphone was Yumi. "So how did the meeting with principal Delmas go?"

"just great. My father told him about his plan to take me out of school if I didn't improve and so the school counselor helped me make a plan to improve my grades."

"Well let's have a look." Jeremy said as Aelita took the sheets of paper out of Ulrich's hand.

"This looks doable", Aelita said after she and Jeremy had skimmed the plan.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Yumi asked, her voice distorted and tinny.

Odd smirked, "Yeah sure. You can offer..." Odd started off. "Ouch, hey what'd you do that for?" he yelled as Aelita smacked him.

"Yumi, maybe you can help out with literature and by proofreading some of Ulrich's reports. Jeremy and I can handle math and science." Aelita offered.

"I think I can handle that." Yumi replied "And thanks for shutting Odd up before he said something stupid."

Aelita chuckled "Your welcome."

"What about staying away from each other?" Ulrich asked while glaring at Jeremy. Aelita looked at the exchange and decided to ask what that was about later.

"What!? You two were going to stay away from each other!" Odd exclaimed.

"Both Ulrich and Yumi used Sissy and William to make each other jealous because they took the jealousy as an admission of their feelings. It's badly damaged their ability to trust one another." Jeremy explained.

"So you suggested that they take a break and come back fresh, hopefully ready to trust one another." Aelita finished for him. Aelita continued, her voice sounding sweet "You know studying together may help. Working on programs together helped me and Jeremy understand each other better and let us get comfortable with our feelings without undue pressure."

Jeremy smiled at Aelita, wondering why he hadn't thought of that while he and Yumi were talking. "I agree with Aelita."

Odd looked at Jeremy "You would. But so do I so I guess it's ok."

"So I get study dates with Yumi in return for letting Jeremy and Aelita torture me with math and science?" Ulrich asked, happy at the thought of not having to go a week or more without Yumi.

"Yeah, sounds like it." Odd replied.


	5. Plans and problems

The mad shoe1 - I have put thought into it, thanks for noticing and I'm glad you like it.

Kitty Bridgeta - Thank you. A quote I heard once: No plan survives contact with the enemy. It's bad and William and Sissy aren't going to make it any better but that's in the future.

FrodoandSam12 - You are right, I need to be more careful and re-read my work before posting. This chapter should be better.

--

**Yumi's house, Yumi's Room, Wednesday 5:45 PM:** Yumi went up to her room after dinner and sighed deeply as she opened her bag and pulled out the day's homework. After finishing her homework she took out a set of binders, each containing notes and assignments from the previous courses that Jeremy and Aelita had taken with Ulrich. Even without math, physics, and chemistry there was a lot of material, far too much for her to simply go over it all. Looking at the collection she decided to skim over the classes that Ulrich's plan said he needed the most help with. She could mark the stuff that she needed a refresher on and skip what she already knew. Once the most important items were highlighted she would start to study in detail. Happy with her plan she set to work.

As the evening stretched on her thoughts drifted over to Ulrich and the fact that he could be alone with Sissy. She squashed that line of thought, hoping and choosing to believe that he wouldn't risk their tenuous relationship that way. Briefly she wondered what Ulrich envisioned her doing right now. She squashed that line of thought as well and forced herself to return to her studies.

Shortly afterwards her mind wandered again, this time to what Jeremy and Aelita were doing. She actually hoped that they were out on a date because if what she had in front of her was any indication this was going to be a long, boring road. She frowned knowing that neither Jeremy nor Aelita would be out doing something completely fun, they both owed Ulrich too much to just forget about his problem even if it was just for an evening. Again she forced thoughts of her friends out of her mind and forced herself to return to studying.

By the time she went to get ready for bed she was sick of school work. "Ulrich, you had better be worth all this effort," she muttered to her pillow.

--

**Kadic Academy, Ulrich and Odd's room, Wednesday 6:30 PM:** Ulrich entered his room in a bad mood, having just watched Jeremy and Aelita leave campus, presumably on a date. Adding insult to injury was Yumi heading home early after not even talking to him the entire day. At lunch she had sat with her little brother and his friends rather than the gang. Odd, of course, had told him to "cheer up" and that Yumi wouldn't be ignoring him forever. Odd was right, Yumi had promised to help him study and she was always true to her word. The knowledge did little to help him feel better. She wasn't here and that meant, no, he stopped himself. He wasn't going there, though he couldn't help but wonder what she thought he was going to do with his last free evening. Tomorrow would start his tutoring sessions and the terrible plan was: he would skip it, going to Lyoko where Jeremy and Aelita would have a lesson prepared for him. Once it was over they would launch a return to the past, and he would go to the staff run tutoring session. They would repeat this until he was caught up. This was going to be hell.

Pushing that thought away and seeing that the room was empty he took out his homework and got started. As he worked he found himself wishing for a XANA attack. Unlike the geometry problem he was currently working on a XANA attack had a clearly defined and easy solution. Ulrich smiled at that thought, wondering how many other people would think that risking one's neck fighting a demonic program with real, life or death, consequences was a good substitute for math homework. He returned to his work and considered calling Jeremy to ask for help. After looking over the pile of work in his bag he thought better of it. Jeremy would have insisted on explaining the whole thing rather than just giving him the answer and he just didn't have time for that. Shelving the assignment for later he reached into his pile and pulled out the next one.

At about 7:30 there was a knock on the door and in walked Sissy. "Oh Ulrich dear," she said in a high and annoying tone "what's the matter. You look awfully lonely, all your friends abandon you?"

"I've got homework, leave me alone," Ulrich answered harshly.

Sissy sighed and turned to leave but had second thoughts and turned back towards Ulrich. "Do you need any help," she asked in a concerned voice.

"From you?"

"Yes, from me," Sissy replied in a slightly aggravated voice, "so I'm not exactly one of the Einstein's, I can still manage to do my homework."

"Sissy, I know what you're trying to do and it's not going to work. Just leave ok?"

"And just what do you think I'm trying to do," Sissy snapped back.

"You want me to get in trouble with Yumi so that I'll be your boyfriend."

"You know, maybe I just felt bad that you were left all alone to work while everyone else was out having fun and wanted to see if I could help." She sounded hurt.

Ulrich bit back the reply he was going to spit at her. She was right after all, Jeremy and Aelita were presumably on a date, Odd was, and he had no idea where Yumi was, though she said she was going home when she left. For that matter he had no idea where William was. He didn't want to think that William and Yumi were on a date but couldn't help it either. The thought of Yumi and William out on a date threatened to put him over the edge but he forced himself to calm down and give her a fair shot. "I'm sorry Sissy, I don't need any help right now. But thanks for asking," he replied in a forced, neutral tone.

Sissy turned and left, saving her disappointment and bitterness until after she had left his room.

--

**Factory, Computer Lab, Wednesday 6:45 PM:** "Aelita, are you sure your ok to be here?" Jeremy asked for the second time.

"Yes Jeremy I'm fine" Aelita replied, letting just a little frustration creep into her voice. "And if by any chance I'm not I'll tell you. Promise."

"Ok then, let's get to work" Jeremy said, gesturing to the extra chair they had brought down with them. She sighed and sat down, wishing she was sitting in Jeremy's lap. Using her laptop, Aelita opened a connection to the supercomputer and accessed Jeremy's open programs. Together they began setting up a simulation bubble that could be used to teach physics, chemistry , and math. As she worked she came across a reserve of data. Closer examination revealed them to be the type of programs they were there to create.

"Hey Jeremy, look at this." Aelita sent Jeremy a set of memory addresses and he looked over the data, nodding approvingly.

"Do you have any idea how much time this will save us," he asked excitedly.

"Yeah, we need to update some of the lessons and simulation equipment but, most of the work is already done for us" Aelita replied with the same excitement.

"Well let's get to work, you want physics, chemistry or math?"

"I'll take physics, you take math and we'll work on chemistry together," Aelita replied with a smirk and a deep red blush.

Seeing Aelita's expression and blush clued Jeremy in on the other meaning of her comment and caused him to blush as well. "Sounds like a plan," Jeremy replied sounding a little shy.

Aelita chuckled at the tone of his voice "Your handsome when your being shy."

Jeremy's blush deepened as he sheepishly turned back to his consol, and started typing furiously. Aelita simply smiled, the speed of his typing telling her all she needed to know, and returned to work.

--

Jeremy finished the math module and turned to face Aelita, watching as she finished the physics module. When she was done she shut down her laptop and hopped up into Jeremy's lap. Jeremy wrapped his arms around her and she started to work on the chemistry module, Jeremy reading over her shoulder helping her. Luckily for them the chemistry module needed the least amount of work and it was up and running in no time.

True to her word, Aelita snuggled against Jeremy and placed her hands over his. "Let's just stay like this for a little while, ok?"

"Ok princess, whatever you want" Jeremy replied, quite happy with the current situation.

--

**30 minutes later:** As they got ready to enter Lyoko to test the program Aelita noticed that Jeremy was getting nervous. "Hey Jeremy," she said as she slid off his lap, "why so nervous?"

Jeremy sighed and turned to face her " I'm a little nervous about going into Lyoko with you. I, well, I don't really like my avatar and."

Aelita smiled and shushed him, "Jeremy don't be worried, however you look on Lyoko I'll still see the real you. The one who's brave and strong and handsome." Ignoring the heat that had risen to her cheeks she continued "If you're that concerned about your avatar you should have said something earlier." Her tone changing to flirty she said "if you'll let me surprise you I promise I'll give you a fitting avatar."

Jeremy looked into her eyes and nodded, walking over to the elevator he said "don't keep me waiting too long."

Aelita hopped up into the chair and got to work on altering Jeremy's profile. When she was done she set up delayed transfers for both of them and called to Jeremy on the intercom, letting him know that she was on her way down.

--

**Lyoko, Ice sector, Wednesday 8:37 PM: **Jeremy fell onto the ice surface and was helped up by Aelita who then took a step back and admired her handiwork. She led Jeremy over to an ice formation whose face was acting as a mirror. Jeremy saw himself, modified with elfin features much like Aelita's. He was wearing a tight fitting blue mages cloak with short sleeves. His arms and legs looked more muscled than his human form but were not badly exaggerated. Continuing his inspection he turned around and looked back allowing him to see that the back of his garment held a picture of Albert Einstein. On his right wrist was a device that looked like a watch. It's face however, held a computer icon instead of the time. Experimentally he tapped the watch and saw it blossom into a holographic interface that went up his forearm. A closer look revealed that it held all the commands for accessing the tactical map of Lyoko, profile cards, an array of debug functions, and several interfaces he didn't know existed. "What are all of these commands for" Jeremy asked.

"I'm not entirely certain myself. Some of these interfaces allow very low level access to our characters. Some allow access to the world physics engine. Some allow access to the wider network" Aelita answered.

Touching the watch again caused the display to collapse back into it. "All of that could come in handy but it looks like a lot to learn. In the meantime what do I have for a weapon?" Jeremy asked.

"Hold out your hand and concentrate a little, imagine a ball of energy forming there and."

Jeremy did as instructed and a blue ball of energy popped into existence in his palm.

"Ok now throw the ball at the ice formation opposite me."

Again Jeremy did as instructed and the ball flew from his hand, shattering the targeted object. "Good," Aelita said, "your profile also allows you to de-activate towers and do pretty much anything I can do. Some other time we can work on manipulating the computer from the inside but for now we have a program to test."

"I look forward to that, and I love my new form. Thank you," Jeremy said as he took her hand. He instantly regretted the lack of feeling as the warm, soft, delicate hand he so loved was rendered as a perfectly hard surface with no texture. His mind filled in some of the missing details but it was a long way from feeling the real thing.

Aelita turned towards him "Funny how our mind tries to fill in the blanks that Lyoko doesn't provide. Now come on, if this goes well we'll still have some time to enjoy the real thing before we have to be back in our dorms." Neither Aelita nor Jeremy blushed because the computer simply didn't simulate that.

Together they ran the short distance to the simulation bubble. Stopping and then pushing into the dome they were instantly transported into a chemistry lab equipped with everything the school's chemistry lab had and then some. Aelita walked over to a large periodic table and tapped on the entry for carbon. A display of the carbon atom popped up along with a set of options for dispensing the element or looking more deeply into its properties. Satisfied, she waved the display away.

While Aelita tried out the table of elements Jeremy ran a simple experiment, combining hydrogen and oxygen to form water. He tapped the microscope icon and watched as the computer displayed the reaction on a molecular level as well as a readout of the reagents consumed and energy released. Impressed, he waved away the display and turned to Aelita "wow, this worked better than I had expected. Your father must have planned to be here a long time to cram in all of this study material."

"I don't know Jeremy. He never told me much about his plans for Lyoko, only that it was somewhere we could be hide and be safe" Aelita replied sadly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean."

"No that's ok, But no more of my father for tonight. Ok?"

"Ok" Jeremy replied softly "then let's check out the other labs."

--

**Factory, Computer Lab, Thursday 6:45 PM:** Yumi glared daggers at Jeremy and Aelita, upset that they had not reconsidered their plan and were not going to shut down the supercomputer. "What do you mean you're not going to turn it off," she yelled.

"Look Yumi, I know how you feel about the supercomputer but the technology can be used to give Ulrich an edge in his fight to stay with us" Jeremy replied calmly.

"You know how I feel" she retorted. "That thing has nearly killed us more times than I care to count. We got very lucky to defeat XANA so many times given its advantages. And now you want to risk everything to help Ulrich do what he should have been doing the entire time."

This time Aelita answered: "No, he doesn't. XANA is gone and even if it wasn't it can't come back to this supercomputer. And if XANA ever does come back this supercomputer is the only way we have to get advance warning and the only known weapon against XANA. It has to be left operational."

"There has to be another way. Find it." Yumi yelled back.

"No" Aelita yelled out "Your home country still exists even though it attacked Pearl Harbor and started a bloody new theater in World War two. Ulrich's home country still exists even though it gave rise to Hitler who slaughtered millions. Should you and Ulrich not exist because of the past sins of some of your country's leaders?"

Yumi gave Aelita a furious look "You of all people should know just how wrong this is. Your father imprisoned you in Lyoko with a computer virus bent on exterminating all of humanity. And now you." Yumi stopped as Aelita collapsed into Jeremy who started shouting.

"Enough! Franz gave his life right here to save all of ours. And I'll grant that he died saving all of us from a mistake he made." Jeremy paused for a few seconds then continued more softly "I understand that the supercomputer is a risk and a big one. But we all agreed to save Aelita no matter the cost. Once XANA got into the internet that cost was our eternal vigilance. If XANA does come back we can destroy all of the information contained in the supercomputer save for the files needed to understand and defeat XANA then make an anonymous call to any branch of the military. But we have to know if XANA reappears and this hardware is the only thing powerful enough to monitor the entire internet."

Yumi looked at Jeremy who was holding Aelita against him, her head buried in his shoulder. "I still don't like this. There are too many bad memories here."

"Yes, and the worst are mine" Aelita replied, sounding like she wanted to cry. "Watching all of you willing to give your lives for mine. Watching Jeremy suffer as he worked to free all of us from XANA. Watching my father die saving our lives. But this is as much my home, as much a part of me, as Japan is to you, Germany is to Ulrich, Italy is to Odd and France is to Jeremy."

Jeremy continued "None of you want to destroy your own homelands because of their past sins, nor do you want to destroy each other's homeland. This is no different."

Odd looked over to Jeremy "I agree. The Italy has had its fair share of problems and bad history but its home and I wouldn't want to lose it."

Ulrich looked over to Jeremy then at Yumi "They have a point Yumi. Perhaps we can use all of this equipment to build a better future, mindful of the memories trapped here."

Yumi surveyed her friends. Aelita was now standing close to Jeremy, her eyes still holding the glimmer of unshed tears. Odd looked slightly hopeful and she wondered if he was hoping to get another chance at fighting XANA. Ulrich looked hopeful as well, clearly wanting the computer to remain on. "Alright," she said in a stern voice, "we can leave the computer on but at the first sign of trouble we delete our info and turn it over to the government."

Aelita went over to Yumi and hugged her saying "Thank you Yumi. For whatever else it is Lyoko is very much a part of me, some of it embedded into my very DNA. It's also the closest I'll ever get to my father. With the pictures from the hermitage being so badly damaged," her voice trailed off.

Yumi hugged back "I understand. It's your legacy and if you and Jeremy want to make something good of it then I'll let you." She released Aelita and her voice grew stern again, "But if this thing becomes a threat I won't hesitate to turn it over to the authorities."

"Thank you, Yumi" Jeremy said sincerely, "I promise we'll use this hardware well."

"You had better Jeremy, that goes for you as well Aelita." Yumi replied.

With that settled Jeremy hopped up into the chair and began preparing transfers while the rest headed for the elevator. "Ok, you guys go ahead, Aelita and I will join you shortly" Jeremy said as they entered the elevator. Both Ulrich and William took up positions next to Yumi and she shoved both of them away after they tried to get too close. Both spent the rest of the ride down glaring at one another and upon arriving at the scanner room they headed for the outside scanners while Odd got into the middle one. "We're ready for the transfer" William called out. Yumi remained behind after deciding that she would rather be virtualized with Jeremy and Aelita.

After Ulrich, Odd and William had been transferred to Lyoko Yumi heard Jeremy's voice over the intercom saying: "Ok Yumi get into the right most scanner, Aelita and I will join you shortly."

"Your actually coming," a surprised Yumi asked Jeremy when he stepped out of the elevator.

"Aelita gave my profile an upgrade." Jeremy answered as he entered his scanner.

--

**Lyoko, Ice sector, Thursday 6:59 PM:** Everybody looked over Jeremy's new form. After giving him an approving look Odd turned his attention to Aelita, "Your doing princess?"

"You like it?" She asked sweetly.

"I like everything you do princess." Odd flirted.

Unable to resist to opportunity to get a little revenge for all of Odds teasing, Aelita stepped closer to Jeremy and whined "Honey I don't like the giant cat." "Could you do something about that," she added with a pout.

"Anything for you." Jeremy replied with an almost evil grin. Bringing up his hands he shot a couple of energy balls at Odd, sending him off running. Then he tapped his PDA and quickly assessed the newly available debug functions. Choosing one he tapped a few commands and watched as the computer stopped running physics calculations on Odd's avatar. The result was Odd freezing just as he was going to fire his arrows.

"Hey no fair" Odd called out.

"That's what you get for trying to flirt with Jeremy's girl" Aelita said playfully. After a short pause she continued "promise not to shoot my boyfriend?"

"Yes fine, just let me go." Odd pleaded.

Jeremy smiled and tapped a few commands into his PDA then banished the display with a wave of his hand. "Sorry Odd, that was just too tempting to resist especially after Aelita asked. Friends?"

"Ok, friends." Odd replied as he walked over to Jeremy and extended his hand. "But only because you're too in love with Aelita to say no to her."

Jeremy took his hand to shake it and Aelita put her hand on top of theirs. "Sorry Odd but I wanted to demonstrate and you just gave me the perfect opportunity. See, I gave Jeremy all of the Lyoko access codes as well as upgrading his avatar to make it more suitable. He can access towers, use the computer to affect the real world and de-activate towers."

"You should have done that a long time ago" Ulrich said once he stopped laughing at Odd.

"I couldn't," Aelita replied "I didn't have all the access codes or interfaces I would have needed."

"Ok, let's see this program of yours," Yumi interrupted, still a little unsettled at being in Lyoko.

Jeremy pulled up his PDA and then launched the simulation, creating a giant white dome in the ice sector. Everybody followed Jeremy and Aelita inside and were amazed at the replica science lab. After receiving the grand tour of all three programs Yumi couldn't help but be impressed. "You did all of this in one evening" she asked.

"Not exactly, my father had much of this material already programmed in. All we had to do was complete the interfaces and alter some of the lessons. He had planned to make this our safe haven and probably wanted to be prepared in case we had to spend a long time in here." Aelita replied, her voice colored with just a bit of sadness.

"So what made you guys come up with this?" Odd asked.

"Remember yesterday when you said that it was impossible to learn from equations on a black board because they put you to sleep?" Jeremy asked.

"Yes" Odd replied.

"Well we thought maybe a more visual and hands on approach would help both you and Ulrich. Now you can see how the equations match what happens, hopefully that will help you understand math, physics and chemistry" replied Jeremy.

"Shall we get started" Aelita asked, doing her best to imitate Ms Hertz.

--

**Factory, Computer Lab, Thursday 11:15 PM:** "Ok, everybody ready to re-live today?" Jeremy asked.

Receiving a full set of affirmatives he typed in the necessary set of commands and hit enter, saying "Return to the past. Now." A white column appeared in the center of the room and expanded until it had engulfed everything.

--

**Kadic Academy, Jeremy's room, one week later (18 days due to returns to the past), Friday, 9:00 PM:** Sissy was passing by on her way back to her own room when she stopped, hearing a heated argument going on in Jeremy's room. The door was open barley a crack but it was enough to let her hear some of the fight Jeremy and Aelita were having. She caught bits and pieces about school work, course material, experiments, she even thought she heard Ulrich mentioned. After five more minutes of fighting with nothing being said that helped her make sense of what she was hearing they stopped. Thinking that Aelita was going to come storming out of the room and remembering the murderous look in Aelita's eyes from just over a week ago Sissy pulled away from the door and headed towards the stairs as calmly as she could manage. Half way to the stairs and still not having heard the telltale slamming of Jeremy's door she turned and quietly walked back. There was no sound coming from the room anymore, leaving Sissy to wonder what was going on in there.

Jeremy cut himself off as he realized that they were now fighting for no good reason. He sat down heavily on his bed and after a few moments hesitation Aelita did the same. Looking at him sadly she scooted over to him and put an arm around his waist, feeling reassured when he did the same. Together they sat in an uncomfortable silence considering what had just happened.

Aelita lay against Jeremy's shoulder considering the fight as well. She wondered why she didn't see the warning signs before it had come down to a fight. They were certainly there, both of them had complained to the other about the boredom, the frustration. How many times had she pulled Jeremy's hands away from rubbing his forehead to relieve a headache and instead brought him an aspirin and some water? How many times had he massaged her shoulders to relieve her tension? Then again that was the answer wasn't it? They had talked it out and taken care of each other, just like they were right now. They really needed a break, but she was shaken out of her thoughts by Jeremy's voice and actions before she could voice her suggestion.

Jeremy recognized, a little late, that the fight wasn't about Ulrich's curriculum. They had gotten one week's worth of sleep for two weeks worth of waking time. Worse, there was hardly any play time in that mix since they were the designated homework helpers, had their own assignments and had to design Lyoko experiments. The Lyoko labs turned out to be harder than they had initially thought since there were no math or chemistry lessons provided, only the simulation engine and raw data was present meaning they had to write every lesson from scratch. The physical stress of their Lyoko transfers, added to the boredom of school work, on top of the lack of sleep was beginning to push them over the edge. This fight was a wake-up call, a warning that things had to change and they had to change now. First though, he needed to apologize to the angel beside him. "I'm sorry. I'm tired and frustrated but there's no excuse for taking it out on you." His voice was low but warm and full of apology. He started to rub her side, blushing heavily and hoping this would help relax her.

"It's ok, it's not like you started this one, and I feel the same way." She laid her head on his shoulder and felt him settle his head against hers. She continued in a soft voice, "It's amazing though. Not five minutes ago we were yelling at each other now here we are cuddling."

Jeremy, still rubbing Aelita's side gently, offered a suggestion based on her statement and his own realization: "Yes it is. Maybe we should spend the rest of the evening like this, in the past two weeks we haven't had any alone time to just enjoy each other's company, you know?"

Purring softly under Jeremy's light touch she replied, "I'd say we've earned it."

"Angel?"

"Yes Jeremy," Aelita answered, now starting to feeling groggy.

"I think we need to back off of Lyoko and the return trips. Our fight might well be a warning sign that we're pushing ourselves too hard."

Aelita couldn't hold back her surprise as she replied, "How did you come to that conclusion." A pause. "Not that I mind or think your wrong."

"What we were fighting over isn't as important as why we were fighting. We were fighting because we could, because we were both unable to debate like we normally do. That's a bad sign, one that I've learned the hard way not to ignore."

"I'm glad you realize it," Aelita said warmly. "Do you mind if I sleep for the rest of the time we have before curfew?"

Jeremy checked that his alarm was set then replied, "Not at all, in fact I might just join you." Jeremy sounded as tired as she felt. She closed her eyes and let the sensation of Jeremy rubbing her side wash over her. Tired and finally able to relax she drifted off to sleep with Jeremy following her to dreamland shortly after.

The entire conversation had been conducted in a hushed tone that Sissy couldn't hear. Growing tired of waiting for something to happen, Sissy pushed the door open very slowly. She saw the two teens sitting together, strangely still. Gritting her teeth she crept into the room and realized that they were sound asleep. Sissy snapped a few pictures with her camera phone, amazed that the noise didn't wake them. She snuck out of the room, turning off the light on her way out. Now she had options, if Aelita didn't leave at curfew she could get them into serious trouble. If Aelita did leave on time, she still had the picture.

--

**Kadic Academy, Outside the Library, Friday, 8:48 PM:** "Yumi, I'm sorry." Ulrich was trying, and mostly failing, to keep the tone of his voice civil.

"You're sorry! I work three times as hard as I need to so that I can help you get your grades up. Jeremy and Aelita haven't gotten to go on a real first date because they're too busy helping you. Odd's been laying off the late night gaming and music so that you can concentrate and he's actually been studying to impress your father. All of this so you can stay here and now this! And. Your. Sorry. What the hell is wrong with you, skipping out on a report like that." Yumi made no such attempt at concealing her anger.

"Look, I'll do the damn report tomorrow." Ulrich yelled back.

"Great, you'll do it tomorrow. When? Gym class in the morning? Maybe during your math session with Aelita? No I'll bet you can you can do it while working with Jeremy on chemistry." Yumi's voice was literally dripping with sarcasm.

"Fine, I'll do it on Sunday then." Ulrich spat back. Even with the returns to the past there was too much to do and not enough time. After classes on Saturday he had tutoring with the Kadic staff. Then in the evening Jeremy and Aelita would work with him and Odd on different subjects. The original plan had been to leave Sunday as a day off for everyone.

"Great," Yumi screamed. "We can all give up another day to your stupidity and selfishness."

"You know what, I didn't ask for help. You volunteered."

"What the hell was I supposed to do, let you fail out and ruin our future just to spite your father?"

"At least I'd be happy." Ulrich screamed back.

The statement hit Yumi as if it was a ton of bricks. "Happy," she repeated slowly, " You'd be happy to be gone?" She turned and ran, not wanting Ulrich to see how badly hurt she was.

It wasn't until after Yumi had run off that Ulrich realized how Yumi had taken what he had said. As he retreated back to his own room his head was spinning. "Was this it," he wondered. Had he really just broken up with her? Why? Over the course of the past week, two weeks he reminded himself, he and Yumi had both grown increasingly more irritable. They knew how to push each other's buttons and had been using that to vent on each other. He wished for a XANA attack that he knew wouldn't come. He missed XANA right now. XANA had always given him a way to work off his troubles and pull him back to Yumi.

--

"Yumi, wait up" Odd shouted at the running girl. "Come on Yumi, please wait, I just want to talk" he pleaded.

After being followed halfway home she stopped and allowed Odd to catch up. He was panting heavily and sweating when he finally game to a stop a couple of feet in front of her. "What is there to talk about Odd," she said harshly.

Taking a moment to catch his breath he started, still panting a little, "Your upset and maybe you have every right to be but this hasn't been easy on any of us. Do you remember when XANA took control of the return to the past program?"

"Yes" answered Yumi curtly.

"I think the constant studying coupled with all the return trips is driving us all crazy. Even Jeremy and Aelita are suffering."

"We've used the time program hundreds of times its never affected us this way before."

"Never this frequently. The one time we did we all wanted to sleep for a week. Remember?"

"I don't remember it making everyone go crazy, just tiring us out." She was yelling now.

Odd figured that in this state he had no chance of convincing her that the stress was getting to them but he wasn't one to give up. "We had the adrenaline rush of a XANA attack, it wasn't the same boring routine."

"You know what Odd, I don't care anymore. Ulrich said it himself, he'd be happier gone, so let him leave."

"He doesn't want to leave, he's just upset. He's drowning in work."

Yumi cut him off "So am I. So are Jeremy and Aelita. In fact you're the only one who seems to have any free time."

"That's not. OUCH!" Odd screamed out in pain as Yumi swept his feet out from under him.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT ODD. LEAVE ME ALONE BEFORE I BEAT YOU SENSELESS." Yumi screamed at the top of her lungs.

He looked her over, her face was taunt and her mouth curled into a frown. She was holding a fighting stance with her hands balled into a fist so tight her knuckles were white. Her body was screaming power, like a tightly coiled spring waiting to lash out. He could tell that her next response to anything he said was not going to be in words. He ran, hoping he would have better luck with Ulrich.


	6. Rough nights, Long mornings pt 1

Note: I've re-uploaded chapter 5 with this update since I needed to make a couple of changes. First I corrected Odd's homeland (thanks to AussieUlrich for pointing that out) and second I changed the time of the J/A reconciliation to 9:00 to better fit what I want to happen.

Note 2: A quick reminder, the group has been executing a return to the past every day starting from last week's Thursday. The Friday mentioned below is actually 18 days since the Thursday mentioned in chap 5.

**--**

**Kadic Academy, Dorm building, Hallway, Friday 9:20 PM:** While waiting in the hallway, Sissy tried to make sense of what was happening. She wasn't totally oblivious to the world around her and she had a few facts gathered together. First, Ulrich had done an awful lot of 'detention' with a laundry list of his teachers. No sooner than he was out of detention did Jeremy, Aelita or Yumi immerse him in more school work. In fact he had spent all last weekend doing homework or studying with one or more of them. Second, the way his group of friends were acting, especially towards the end of the week, suggested that none of them were getting enough sleep. But they weren't dodging curfew, she had managed to keep watch on Wednesday and Thursday. Now on top of that there was the fight she had just overheard. Her thoughts were interrupted by the pins and needles sensation of her foot falling asleep.

She got up, and limped to one end of the hallway, working the pain out of her foot as she walked. Once the pain was gone she turned back towards Jeremy's room and started to walk back. As she did she saw Ulrich headed for his room. He was walking slowly, the slumped shoulders and bowed head making him look depressed. She continued past Jeremy's room and purposely bumped into him, allowing herself to stumble and fall to the ground. Anger flashed through her as Ulrich laughed at her fall and said, harshly, "why don't you watch where you're going."

Sissy picked herself up and grabbed his shoulder stopping him. As he spun around to confront her she said: "Your coming with me and explaining what's going on with you and your group."

Ulrich pulled himself away. "No I'm not."

Sissy let out an exasperated sigh and decided to see if she could convince him otherwise. "Do you know what Jeremy and Aelita are doing right now?" The question was asked in a hushed voice suggesting he wouldn't want the answer spread through the school.

"No, and it's none of my business." Ulrich replied in flat tone.

"Their sleeping together." Sissy said in a low and suggestive tone, "And I've got proof." She waved her camera phone around for emphasis. "If you want that to stay between us, I suggest you reconsider your answer."

Ulrich's shock was apparent as he said "They're doing what!?"

"They're sleeping together, no do you want me to tell my father or not" Sissy answered, sounding rather annoyed.

"You'll get them expelled!" Ulrich replied in a voice that said he wasn't quite sure that was a bad thing.

"Yes, I imagine that's what would happen. Unless you want to save their academic career?" Sissy said with an evil smile. "All I'm asking is for you to talk to me. Not too much to ask for your tutors, right?"

"Fine," Ulrich grudgingly agreed, "I'll talk with you. "

"Great, we can use my room for a little privacy. And that's not a suggestion that's a condition." Sissy said as she tugged on his shirt, leading him upstairs.

She watched Ulrich drop unto her bed and just sit there. He looked, broken. That was the only word she could come up with. His shoulders were slumped and he wasn't holding his head upright. His face held a frown and his chocolate eyes were downcast and dark. He was fidgeting nervously, clearly uncomfortable with his situation. As Sissy looked him over, compassion began to seep into her consciousness. As her kinder nature took hold her original reason for bringing him here evaporated. Holding her phone so that Ulrich could see the display she pulled up the picture she had of Jeremy and Aelita asleep on each other's shoulder and deleted it. "That was my evidence against the Einstein's" she said softly, "I won't be getting them in trouble however this ends. Now Ulrich, what's wrong with you? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Normally, Ulrich wouldn't have given her a second thought. But she sounded so different, so sincere. The usual air of selfishness was gone, replaced with genuine concern. He should still be keeping his secrets but he was tired and at the end of his rope. Broken in a way that XANA had never managed, Ulrich answered honestly. "I'm a failure," he said, "I couldn't keep up and now it's over."

"Whoa... What do you mean you're a failure?" Sissy asked, very surprised to hear him say such a thing.

"I couldn't keep up with the work. Two weeks in and already I've lost," Ulrich replied despondently.

"I still don't understand. I assume you're talking about your studies but what does falling a little behind cost you now that it hasn't before?"

"Everything. My friends, my family. All gone. All because I couldn't keep up with my school work. All because I'm not good enough." He buried his face in his hands, ashamed of both the breakdown he was having and his failure.

Sissy scooted closer to Ulrich and put her arm around him, savoring the feeling of doing so after dreaming about it for so long. "Ulrich I know those friends of yours are important to you and I think you're important to all of them as well. They won't desert you over a missed homework assignment. Neither will your family, they'll always love you."

"You don't understand, my father demands and accepts nothing less than absolute perfection. When he doesn't get it I'll be the one leaving. He'll pull me out of school and disown me." Ulrich replied, choking back a sob.

Sissy looked over at Ulrich, amazed that he was having this sort of breakdown. He was always so tough and brave, but to see him like this? She had no idea what to do. "Ulrich is there anything I can do to help?" Her voice was low and as gentle as she could manage.

"Nothing. It's over. My life is ruined, I couldn't live up to my father's expectations, couldn't live up to Yumi's expectations." He stopped there, unable to continue. He started to cry.

Sissy pried his hands away from his face and pulled his head to her shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and cried into his shoulder, letting out all the stress and frustration of the past week. Sissy held him while he cried and gently stroking his hair and back until he fell asleep. Very carefully she laid him down on the bed and removed his shoes. She put a pillow under his head then laid down beside him. She wrapped an arm around him and held him close, not wanting him to be alone. She laid there beside him, trying to settle her own emotions: The rage against his so called friends who let him get to this point, happiness that he had chosen her to go to, sorrow at seeing him in this state, satisfaction that she had comforted him. Eventually his calm, rhythmic breathing got to her and lulled her to sleep.

--

**Kadic Academy, Jeremy's room, Friday 9:40 PM:** Odd slipped into Jeremy's room after two quiet knocks didn't get him a response and found Jeremy and Aelita asleep on one another's shoulder. A mischievous smirk grew on Odd's face as he got out his phone to get a picture of the sleeping couple. That turned into a frown as his phone repeatedly refused to give him a picture in the darkness of Jeremy's room. Shaking his head at his bad luck he decided not to wake them up by turning on the room light or using his phone's flash. He slipped back out of the room and went back to his, still wondering where Ulrich was.

Jeremy woke up at 9:50 to the sound of his alarm and noticed that his room was dark, the door was fully closed and Aelita was still slumped on his shoulder. "Jeremy," she asked in a very low and tired voice, "can I stay here tonight?"

Jeremy reached over and shut off the alarm as he answered. "I... I don't think that's a good idea. Somebody knows your here because the light is off and the door is fully closed but neither of us did that." Of course, that was an excuse. He would have liked nothing better than to sleep with his angel again, but the thought was making him nervous as well. The two nights he had held her as she slept had felt wonderful but now there was a new variable, lust. Even though he expected nothing to happen, the fact that some part of him was thinking along those lines was making him uncomfortable.

Aelita took a moment to process that revelation and scanned her memories, coming to the very sad conclusion that he was probably right. If she didn't feel tired, weak and sore from the nearly eighteen straight trips to Lyoko and nine returns to the past she would have agreed with him and left for her own room. But tonight she wanted nothing more than to collapse back to sleep right where she was. "Please, I don't have the energy to go upstairs," she pleaded.

There was the slight problem of who had found them together. Then again it was before curfew and thus ok for her to be there. There was still the possibility of whoever had found them turning them in later, or early in the morning. "Aelita if someone finds out we could get expelled. We already have one recorded incident of being caught together after hours." Jeremy wondered if he sounded as nervous as he felt. His argument didn't sound very convincing and given how bad Aelita sounded he simply didn't have the heart to deny her. If she answered that she wanted to stay, that's what was going to happen.

"Another return to the past, I guess" she answered with a yawn. With nothing but darkness she could feel her eyelids getting too heavy to keep open. She had a feeling that even in a bright room she would be able to nod off at any second. "Please," she added.

Jeremy relented, having thought of an option that would look a lot more innocent if they were discovered. "Ok, you can stay here, let me up so that I can get a pillow and a blanket. You can have the bed, I'll take the floor."

"No, we can share the bed. I trust you." Aelita replied, sounding like she was a little more awake and a touch angry at his suggestion.

"Are... Are you sure? I mean I'll be fine on the floor and..." Jeremy stammered out in as low a voice as he could manage then stopped as he realized that she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Sure enough she replied with: "I'm sure," as she pulled away from Jeremy and bent down to take off her boots.

Jeremy took her boots and placed them in the corner with his shoes while Aelita got up and pulled back the covers. He set the alarm so that it would go off forty minutes early and got into bed as he saw the silhouette that was Aelita gesture impatiently. Aelita laid herself down beside him and whispered goodnight as she fell asleep. Jeremy forced himself to concentrate on Aelita's breathing, allowing her breathing to lull him to sleep.

--

**Kadic Academy, Odd's room, Friday 9:45 PM:** Odd looked around his empty room and wondered where Ulrich was. Looking around, it was clear that he hadn't returned to the room as his desk was untouched and his bag wasn't present. He opened his phone and dialed Ulrich's number, dismayed as the call went straight to voice mail. Odd looked out his window into the dark, cold night and wondered if Ulrich had gone to the forest to sulk like he usually did. Cursing to himself he grabbed a flashlight and his winter coat then headed out the door. Before making it out of the dorms though he thought to call Yumi. Her phone rang for a while then went to voice mail. After several more attempts he decided that Yumi was screening her calls. He assumed that Ulrich was with Yumi, and that they were making up for the fight that had occurred. He returned to his room, took off his coat and put it away. Changing and getting into bed he spared a few thoughts at how lucky everyone else was. Jeremy and Aelita were right here whenever they needed or wanted each other. Yumi wasn't that far away from Ulrich. All he had was Sam's email address and phone number. He wished for some new students, he needed a few more girls to date now that he had the time. He briefly wished that XANA would come back, it had given him some much needed excitement and danger.

--

**Yumi's house, Bathroom, Friday 9:30 PM:** Yumi settled into the tub and tried to let herself relax. She was still mad at Ulrich but now that she had calmed down she knew why. It wasn't that he had skipped out on the assignment. It wasn't even that he said he would be happy leaving school. She was pretty sure that he didn't want to leave. Of course, he did want an end to the work, they all did. No, she was upset that Ulrich wasn't letting her or anyone else help him deal with the stress. She'd tried to get him to open up, to let her help him as he did when her parents were fighting. Instead he resisted or carelessly blew off the issue. She knew him well enough to know that he was not fine, no matter how much he tried to assert that. That he wouldn't trust her to help him was a major problem.

Maybe though, she had been going about this the wrong way. But what else could she do? Talking about her problems made him protective and affectionate but seemed to prevent him from talking to her about his own issues. The subtle approach failed since Ulrich blew off the questions as not work related. Confronting him directly led to fighting, with him becoming very defensive. How were they supposed to get closer, as Ulrich himself said he wanted, if she was the only one sharing?

Maybe he was under too much stress, pushing so hard that it was impossible for him to see anything else. Jeremy had gotten that way more than once and Aelita had to forcibly save him from himself. Which reminded her that she needed to check up on them. While Jeremy and Aelita seemed to be weathering the storm better than her and Ulrich, it had to be taking its toll on them. She was actually grateful for having William back. He had been different since the death of XANA, more subdued. But he had been helpful to her two genius friends. She'd seen him carrying both their bags to and from the factory as well as around campus on occasion. From talking to Aelita, she also knew that he had taken a few trips into Lyoko to spare the two of them the physical stress of the transfer. She would have to thank him for his help, it couldn't be easy on him to help the group when it's goal was to help Ulrich.

--

**Kadic Academy, Jeremy's room, Saturday 6:50 AM:** Jeremy and Aelita awoke to the sound of Jeremy's alarm clock which Jeremy automatically silenced. As he opened his eyes he saw pink. Aelita's hair, he remembered as the sleep left his mind. He noticed that overnight they had shifted closer and she was now resting lightly against him. "Good morning my angel" Jeremy called out still a bit dreamy.

"Morning my prince" Aelita replied, blushing. She too noticed the change in her position. "Sleep well," she asked.

"Very." In fact he had slept better than he had all week. As the remnants of sleep left though, he started to regret that he hadn't pulled her against him and held her in his arms the entire night. Once again the thought of where that could eventually lead both thrilled and frightened him. He didn't want to take advantage of her, especially if there was any possibility that she wasn't in the type of love that could truly last. But he didn't want to be so shy that he pushed her away, making her think that he didn't love her or didn't want to get closer.

Aelita shifted away from him then rolled over so that she could face him. Her smile dropped a little as her eyes came to rest on his face, he looked nervous, a little scared and maybe a little regretful. She recognized the combination and spoke gently, "Jeremy, what's wrong? I didn't mean to push you last night, but I was so tired I just, I didn't have the energy to leave and we seemed to be getting so close, I just thought it would be ok. I never intended to make you uncomfortable."

Jeremy considered and decided that she deserved nothing less than the truth from him. "I want to be with you and at the same time I'm scared. I don't want to take advantage of you, of your gratitude, especially if you're not in love with me the way I hope you are. But if you are in love with me that way then I don't want to lose you because I'm too shy to advance our relationship." It wasn't the smoothest way to deliver that but at least he had told her.

Aelita listened to his explanation and understood. At one time her biggest fear was that she had been a drain on Jeremy's life, a burden that he didn't need to carry. He had convinced her otherwise. Now it was her turn to repay the favor. She needed to let Jeremy know that she loved him above and beyond anything he had done for her and that she was not put off by his shyness. The heat rising to her cheeks as she contemplated her answer was a good reminder that she was a still bit shy as well.

"Jeremy," she started off with a warm, loving voice while looking directly in his eyes. "I owe you more than I could even begin to repay. My life, my freedom, those are gifts on a level I can't even begin to describe. But that's not why I love you. I would trust you with my life in an instant, without even thinking about it, you've earned that and it's a good start . But I love you because you've proven yourself kind, loyal and brave. You help others before you help yourself. You've kept up the fight even when it looked hopeless. You've faced all your fears to battle for your friends. I've seen you nearly die to protect those you love and I know you would do it again without hesitation."

Aelita stopped as Jeremy reached out and so very gently wiped the tears that had formed in her eyes. She smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek, buying time try and recapture the thoughts his affectionate gesture had scattered, before continuing: "Do you have any idea what you do to me? You stand beside me and I feel as if anything is in my reach. You hold me and I know that whatever is wrong will be better because you'll be there to face it with me. You smile and I melt inside. You always find a way to show me the best qualities in myself, even when I don't see them."

Aelita took a short pause to compose herself. Jeremy waited, comprehension dawning in his eyes, a smile growing on his face. She could see that he was beginning to understand. She continued, speaking in a gentle voice: "I know you love me. You express it each time you compliment me, each time you make me laugh, each time you let me cry on your shoulder, each time you cry on mine. You should know I love you too, I express it the same ways you do. I love you Jeremy, because of all you are and not just because of all you've done."

Aelita took one more pause before continuing. "As for your shyness, I'll help you get over that. We've built the mental and emotional bonds we enjoy today together. We can grow into, and build, our physical relationship the same way. And Jeremy, I'm glad you feel that way because it tells me that anything we do is an expression of our love, our feelings for each other and not just empty physical pleasure that we'll come to regret."

Jeremy looked at Aelita, awe clear in his eyes and face. For a moment he lay there, stunned by Aelita's feelings and the effect he had on her. It was almost too good to be true that he could enhance her life as she had enhanced his. Yet she had said it and the look in her eyes, the expression on her face, told him that every word was the truth. Feeling a confidence he never before had, and unable to form the words he needed to express his reply he moved forward, pressing his lips to hers.

Joy. Pure joy surged through Aelita as Jeremy kissed her with a depth and passion that he had never before shown. As Jeremy continued to kiss her reality just melted away until all the universe consisted of only three things: herself, Jeremy, and the kiss. All too soon her lungs pulled her back to the real world by demanding air. She ignored them for as long as she could then pulled away, gasping for breath.

"Aelita, " Jeremy began through his panting, "I don't... I don't know what to say. Everything you"

"Shhh, " Aelita said, gently placing her finger over his lips again. "You've never kissed me like that before and that one kiss told me everything I need to know. Words, no matter how beautiful or eloquent, will just ruin the moment."

Jeremy thought for a few seconds, a mischievous glint forming in his eyes as he replied "did I just hear you say shut-up and kiss me again," in a flirty tone.

Aelita laughed, drawing a broad, bright smile from Jeremy. Once she stopped she took a breath then nodded yes. Without wasting any time he pressed a another passionate kiss to her lips, separating from her only when she needed to breath. He was about to go back for thirds when his alarm went off for the second time. He silenced it and, looking sadly at Aelita, said "I hate to cut this short but if you don't leave soon you'll get caught."

Aelita looked up at the clock and back to Jeremy, with a defeated sigh she got up off the bed and offered her hand to him. He took it and she helped pull him off of his bed. She put on her boots while Jeremy opened his door and checked the hallway. Seeing it was clear he motioned to her, signaling that it was ok to go. Aelita snuck back to her room undetected though she had to force herself to maintain a soundless pace, barely managing to contain the energy and giddiness in her body. Once she got back to her room she decided to grab a shower while she didn't have any competition.

Once Aelita was safely away Jeremy grabbed some clothes, his shower kit and proceeded to the showers. He was on cloud nine, the morning having gone better than he ever could have expected. He understood, in a way that he never had before, that Aelita loved him. He was also starting to realize that the shyness that he had always feared would ruin his relationship could be overcome. He had taken the first step in that direction and not only had she liked the result, she had asked for more.

--

**Kadic Academy, Sissy's room, Saturday 7:15 AM:** Ulrich awoke feeling much better than he had in some time. Though he was still a little sleep muddled, he knew his head would clear. It also felt like someone had taken a weight off his shoulders and chest. He realized that he was in bed with someone, her arms wrapped securely around him. As the fog of sleep left him he began to remember last night. Last night he had fought with Yumi, been blackmailed by Sissy then cried on her shoulder after telling her what a failure he was. Now he was in her room, in her bed, nestled in her arms and suddenly he felt ill. Even though nothing had happened it could be argued that he had cheated on Yumi. Yet, he couldn't feel the total outrage that he should have felt. He had cried, proving himself to be a weak and miserable failure and Sissy had let him stay, even held him close. She hadn't rejected him or thrown him out, even though his father had assured him that that's what happened to people who weren't always perfect. That release had felt good in a way he never would have expected. But the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach wasn't going away, and it reminded him of how Yumi would feel about this. He needed to get away from here and think, figure out how to deal with this.

Sissy woke up to find Ulrich extracting himself from her grip. "Good morning" she greeted, sounding very happy. "Please, stay with me just a few more minutes," she pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but I can't get caught coming out of your room. Do you have any idea how much trouble we'll get in?"

"That's an excuse, my father"

"Will save you and expel me." Ulrich cut her off.

Sissy took a moment to think about it then agreed, showing Ulrich to his shoes and checking the hallway before allowing him out of her room. Alone with her thoughts she tried to wrap her head around what had just happened. She forced him up to her room and he had broken down in front of her, spilling what sounded like his deepest fears. Then he slept with her, allowing her to hold and comfort him. Now he looked ashamed of what he'd done. She looked down at herself, trying to settle her emotions. Last night she had been overjoyed that Ulrich had let her see him so vulnerable and that he allowed her to try and make him feel better. Now she felt used. He hadn't even thanked her for letting him spend the night and worse didn't even try to hide how disgusted he was with the fact.

Her selfish manner reasserted itself. She could use this to completely destroy the relationship between Yumi and Ulrich. Then Ulrich would have to beg her to be taken in. She wished she had proof of Ulrich's overnight stay, Yumi might not be easily convinced of Ulrich's mistake without it. Then she saw it, proof positive that Ulrich had spent the night. He had left his backpack behind in his haste. All she had to do was give it back to him at breakfast. First though she hid it in a closet, just in case he came for it early. An evil grin formed on her face as she contemplated the results of her plan. Ulrich would lose Yumi in a big fight and she would be there to save him, like she had last night. Sissy went out to take her shower, finishing in record time so that she could alter her plan slightly. The cafeteria was a bad place to admit you spent the night with a boy, she would talk to his little group on the boy's floor instead.

Ulrich snuck to the stairwell and down the stairs to the boy's floor. As he emerged a plan was forming in his mind. He could run to the factory and execute a return to the past. Everyone would ask why and he could tell them that after the fight with Yumi he spent the night at the hermitage, or the factory, sulking. He would be the only one to remember his visit to Sissy and he could keep that a secret. It was perfect.

--

**Kadic Academy, Girls floor, Saturday 7:38 AM:** Aelita left her room and paused as she saw Sissy leaving hers with a boy's backpack. As she approached Sissy she recognized the backpack as Ulrich's. Trusting Ulrich not to have cheated on Yumi and therefore assuming that Sissy had managed to steal it, she approached Sissy and tapped her shoulder. "What exactly are you doing with Ulrich's backpack," Aelita asked in a gruff voice.

Sissy's voice was full of smug satisfaction as she replied "I'm returning it, he spent the night with me and forgot to take it when he left this morning."

"He did what!?" Aelita just about yelled, her eyes narrowing in anger.

"He spent the night with his girlfriend. Now if you'll excuse me I need to give this back to him." Sissy didn't wait for a response and instead bolted towards the stairs. It took Aelita a few seconds to recover from her shock at and once she did she took off, running after Sissy. Aelita was unfortunate enough to have to doge another student coming out of her dorm room and the loss of just a few steps allowed Sissy to reach the stairwell first. Not wanting to fall herself or get into trouble by accidently tripping up Sissy, Aelita took the stairs at a slightly more measured pace than Sissy did.

Once Sissy heard the sound of Aelita running after her on the boy's floor she bolted again, running into William. Seeing Aelita running towards them, William held on to Sissy and allowed Aelita to catch up. Speaking sternly, William asked "what is going on here,... Sissy, why do you have Ulrich's backpack?"

"She stole it," Aelita accused.

"Ulrich left it behind when he snuck out of my room this morning." Sissy answered.

William looked at the two girls, and was about to ask if either had proof when the temporal wave hit.

--

Author's note: At some point I will be writing up the meeting between the gang and Ulrich's parents. Since I'm not so good at making up names I'm going to ask for everybody's help. I need first names for both Ulrich's mother and father. If I use your suggestion you'll get credit in an author's note (yes, that's about the best I can do). If you don't feel like leaving me a review then PM me with your suggestion. Thanks.


	7. The rough night

Author's note: This is the longest chapter to date and it isn't even everything I had planned to cram in. So here's Friday night and Saturday will be posted as chapter 8, when it gets finished. Hope everyone finds this worth the wait and sorry it took so long to update.

I'm still accepting suggestions for names for Ulrich's parents. Current front runners: Henrich and Anna stern from Sexylyokofan.

* * *

**Factory, Computer lab, Saturday 7:35 AM:** Ulrich stood at the computer console and readied himself for the trip. He had set everything up, rehearsed his phone call to Yumi and was ready to go. The only thing stopping him from pressing the enter key was a concern over where everyone else was. He knew that Jeremy and Aelita were asleep on each other's shoulder in Jeremy's room. He didn't know where William was and frankly he didn't care. Odd was probably scouring the usual hiding spots on campus looking for him, so it was no big deal where he came out of the return trip. That left Yumi. He didn't know for sure what time their fight had occurred and was hoping that the time he picked would allow her to be safely at home. Of course his target time would give everyone an extra night's sleep, hopefully that would make up for any inconvenience. He looked at the clock on the supercomputer, 7:38 AM. Hoping that Sissy hadn't had time to go and brag about their night to any of his friends he hit the enter key. The familiar white dome washed over him. The next thing he knew he was in his body, standing still yet walking at the same time.

--

**Kadic Academy, William's room, Friday 9:15 PM:** William found himself sitting at his desk in front of a half-finished homework problem that he already knew the answer to. His mind and body were totally out of sync and he involuntarily clenched his fists around nothing. His legs felt weird, he knew they were taught, supporting his weight and braced against the movements of Sissy, and yet they weren't and further there was no Sissy. This was the first time he had not been prepared for a return to the past and the total disconnect between what his body was doing now and what he thought it was doing was painful. He tried to stand up and clumsily swept everything off of his desk while falling out of his chair. Rather than take a chance at hurting himself he just sat there allowing his mind and body to catch up to each other. The disorientation soon passed and he cursed himself. He knew better than to try and do anything during the first few seconds after a return to the past.

William collected himself and began picking up the things he had spilled on the floor. As he did he considered his situation. Given that he had just taken a trip through time it was probably reasonable to assume that Sissy had not been lying. Unfortunately, any evidence of that was now gone. Aelita knew about the backpack but he didn't know if she would take this as evidence of Ulrich being unfaithful. Sissy did want Ulrich and was willing to do just about anything to get him. It wasn't beyond her to steal Ulrich's backpack to use as evidence. The question was: Could he get Ulrich to admit to cheating in front of someone Yumi would trust? He considered leaving his mess and heading for Jeremy's room. Unfortunately, he was denied the option by Jim who was standing in the doorway demanding that William clean up the mess he had made.

**--**

**Kadic Academy, Jeremy's room, Friday 9:15 PM:** Both Jeremy and Aelita snapped awake after being dropped back into their bodies, the disconnect between where they were and where they are still jarring even after all times they had been through it. They both gave themselves a few seconds to recover then noticed that the light was off and the door was shut. "Looks like we didn't go back far enough to catch our intruder," Jeremy said with a bit of regret as he lifted his head off of Aelita's.

Aelita got up and flipped the light on allowing to Jeremy to see the expression of anger and the last traces of the fatigue she felt yesterday on her face as she turned back to him. "So what happened Saturday," he asked.

Aelita looked over at Jeremy, seeing a cross between happy and tired on his face. She remembered that he would have been looking forward to walking with her to the cafeteria when the wave hit. She let the thought calm her for a few seconds then answered Jeremy's question. "Sissy had Ulrich's backpack and was claiming that he had spent the night with her. I accused her of stealing it and she bolted. I chased her down to the boy's floor and she ran into William who held on to her until I could catch up. We both told William our stories about the backpack and then the wave hit."

"Well let's check the supercomputer logs, if Ulrich launched the time program." Jeremy stopped, unwilling to complete the sentence. Aelita gave him an understanding look, whatever the truth was, if Ulrich had launched the program without warning anyone it was damning evidence against him.

Aelita stood behind Jeremy and put a hand on his shoulder while he booted the desktop and connected to the supercomputer. The command log held exactly what he didn't want to find, that Ulrich had logged in and launched the return trip. Jeremy looked up at Aelita who looked back at him. "This is not good." Aelita nodded her head in agreement and took a seat on the vacant computer chair next to him while they waited for someone to call and ask what was going on, or for Ulrich to call and explain himself.

"Do you really think Ulrich would cheat on Yumi with Sissy?" Aelita asked in a slightly pained voice.

Jeremy reached over and took her hands in his then answered, "I really hope not, but Sissy got Ulrich's backpack somehow and it's hard to imagine her stealing it and getting away with it."

Aelita looked down at her hands in Jeremy's as she said "William and I know about the backpack, Yumi doesn't. If William tells her about what happened on Saturday morning she'll ask me for conformation. Jeremy, I don't want to lie to Yumi but I don't want to be the one to destroy her relationship with Ulrich either." Her eyes held the unasked question.

Jeremy squeezed her hands supportively and spoke gently but confidently. "You'll tell her the truth but you already knew that. And you won't be the one to destroy it if you have to tell her, Ulrich will have already done that. All you would be doing is sparing her the pain of finding out for herself through Sissy or the tumor mill." Aelita looked heartened and Jeremy added "And if you want we can tell her together." He got a slight, sad smile in response.

**--**

**Kadic City, Friday 9:15 PM:** Yumi looked herself over, muttering a curse directed at whoever chose the target time for the return to the past. She had been standing at a corner waiting for traffic to clear on her way to school when the wave hit. It brought her back to the frantic run home after walking off the fights with Ulrich and Odd. The momentary disorientation of time travel combined with being running while her mind thought she was standing still had resulted in a horribly embarrassing fall. Since her mind and body were so far out of sync she couldn't even protect herself and now she was going to have to explain the cuts and scrapes on her arms, legs and face to her parents. Whoever had done this was going to get an earful from her.

Of course, whoever had done this was at school maybe she could go there, get some attention for her wounds and confront the person responsible for the return trip. Once that was done she could spend the night with Aelita. All it would take was a quick phone call and maybe a little luck with her parents. She made the call.

"Hi Aelita, I have a favor to ask."

Aelita heard the pained sound of Yumi's voice and her hard, ragged breathing and put the phone on speaker. "Yumi, I've put this on speaker and Jeremy's with me. You sound terrible what happened?"

"I was at a dead stand still when the wave hit, I was running at full speed when I arrived." Aelita let out a gasp, knowing exactly what that meant. "So I fell and scraped myself up pretty good. Nothing we can't handle but do you think you could maybe call my parents and tell them I'm spending the night with you? I don't really want to try and explain the cuts and bruises to my parents right now."

"Yeah sure, I'll tell them you need help with an assignment and that I wanted to have a girl-girl talk afterwards."

"Thanks Aelita, I'll see you in a few minutes."

"No problem. Come to Jeremy's room, that's where I'll be."

"And we'll have the first aid kit ready for you," Jeremy added.

"Thanks guys. After you get me patched up I'll ask about why we needed a return to the past."

"Sounds like a plan," Jeremy replied.

Yumi hung up the phone and began walking to school. Both Jeremy and Aelita sounded upset, maybe more so than the relatively minor injuries she had would have been worth. She put it out of her mind, if it had anything to do with the return they would tell her so there was no sense in worrying about it right now.

--

**Kadic Academy, Dorm Building, Friday 9:15 PM:** Ulrich transitioned into walking fairly easily but still stumbled as a result of the return trip. He entered the boy's dorm and headed to his room, preparing to call Yumi and deliver the speech he had spent so much time perfecting at the factory. His last minute review of the phone call he was going to make was interrupted by Sissy who once again demanded that he talk to her with the threat of an indecent picture of Jeremy and Aelita. This time Ulrich replied with: "All you've got is Jeremy and Aelita asleep on each other's shoulder. Go ahead and give it to Milly and Tamiya, I'll look forward to seeing their reactions tomorrow morning."

"What happens when I report them after curfew and they're found in that position?"

"Jeremy's too shy to have her spend the night so Aelita will be back in her room before curfew. Now if you'll excuse me I have work to do." Ulrich turned his back to her and unlocked the door to his room. Sissy stayed behind him and pushed her way into his room.

"Look Ulrich, something is going on here. You and your group have been walking around like zombies, you've had 'detention' every day this week and you've been studying every single minute of your free time. Tell me what's going on."

Sissy's demanding tone was almost painful to hear and yet it tugged at Ulrich, her words evoking memories that he wanted, needed, to forget. He wanted to spit out a vicious reply telling her to get out of his business but he couldn't. Not while remembering the concern on her face as he broke down and cried on her shoulder. Speaking in a pleasant tone he answered "It's not something you can help with. Now please leave so I can concentrate on my work. Ok?"

"Not until you tell me what's happening," Sissy replied in a demanding tone.

"It's none of your business, now leave so I can work." Ulrich answered, finally beginning to lose his temper, yet still maintaining a tone much more civil than usual.

"Ulrich, none of your friends are here, there's no need to push me away. All I want to do is help." Concern was starting to push back the selfishness and it was showing in her voice.

"At what cost? Am I going to have to sit with you and your group in the cafeteria. Will I have to go out on a date with you? Are you going to expect me to call you my girlfriend? No thanks, I'll study on my own."

Sissy looked slightly confused. Ulrich's words were supposed to hurt her yet they weren't delivered with the usual amount of venom. In fact Ulrich didn't even look as angry as he usually was at this point in their previous conversations. Maybe it was only her imagination, but maybe it was real. In the hope that it was real she said: "I would like you to do all of those things, but I won't demand it so early in our relationship. Look at Jeremy and Aelita, they seem perfectly happy and you know how long it took them to get to that point. If you do need my help, I'll be in my room." With that she patted Ulrich on the shoulder and left.

Ulrich shook his head, that did not go as it should have and he hoped it wouldn't be a problem tomorrow.

--

Odd watched Sissy leave and entered the room he shared with Ulrich. "So three questions. Why was Sissy looking like she won the lottery when she left? Where were you on the erased night? And finally, does it have anything to do with the return trip?" There was a definite accusation in those questions.

Ulrich glanced down at the phone. This evening was not going as he planned, and that was making him feel worse about what he was going to do. He didn't want to lie to any of his friends, especially not Yumi, but he had to. The alternative was unacceptable. He noticed Odd looking expectant and decided to answer Odd's first question and see if the answer would make him forget the other two questions. "Well, Sissy has a picture of our two geniuses sound asleep on each other's shoulder. I imagine that will be in the Kadic news tomorrow, she's quite proud of herself."

Odd smiled as he considered that. If he got up early, he might be able to surprise them with that edition. And he did love making the pair blush. After basking in the possibilities for another minute, Odd brought out his accusing voice and repeated his second and third questions.

"Well if you must know, I spent the night at the factory sulking after the fight with Yumi. I got caught on the way in and I couldn't take the chance that my father would find out and pull me from school. Now, if you don't mind I need to call Yumi and explain the return trip." Ulrich turned towards the desk, hoping that Odd hadn't caught the lie and would leave him to his tasks. "I also need to work on the report I didn't do. Hopefully that will satisfy Yumi."

"Oh, hey Ulrich why don't you ask her on a date while you're at it, maybe that will take her mind off your missing report."

Ulrich glared at Odd, "Advice on handling women from you," he snorted. "No thanks."

Odd simply shook his head and plopped unto his bed, taking out one of his handheld games.

Ulrich took another look at his phone and dialed Yumi. When she answered she sounded a little pained and Ulrich groaned slightly though it was not loud enough to be heard over the phone. He was having a hard enough time with what he was about to do, if she suffered injuries due to the return to the past he had triggered he might never forgive himself. "Hi Yumi," he said more cheerfully than he felt, "I wanted to tell you why the return trip."

Yumi cut him off, "you ran the program!?"

"Yes I."

Again, Yumi cut him off. "Great timing Ulrich. We can discuss why you ran the trip after I get fixed up. I just made it to campus and I'm headed up to Jeremy's room for some first aid. You can come and you'd better have a good explanation ready for me."

Ulrich tried to force the guilt out of his voice as he answered: "Yeah, I've got a good reason."

Yumi's voice softened considerably, "ok good. I'll see you soon." With that she hung up. _Was it just me or did Ulrich sound like he was hiding something_, she thought to herself as she walked towards the dorm building.

--

**Kadic Academy, Jeremy's room, Friday 9:20 PM:** Aelita hung up with Yumi and immediately dialed Yumi's home phone. After securing permission for Yumi to spent the night at school she turned to Jeremy, "do you think Ulrich will tell her what happened?"

"I hope so. If she has to hear this from us..."

Jeremy didn't get to finish his reply as Ulrich, Yumi and Odd had walked in and closed the door. Aelita's eyes went wide as she looked over Yumi and quickly guided her to Jeremy's bed and the waiting first aid kit. After a quick evaluation Aelita took Yumi upstairs and helped her clean herself up and apply bandages to the various cuts and scrapes. Once that was done Yumi put on some clothes that she kept at school for just such emergencies. When they got back they found that William had joined the boys in Jeremy's room.

Upon seeing Yumi he guessed what had happened and said "If it makes you feel any better I swiped everything on my desk unto the floor before throwing myself out of my chair. It took forever to clean up the mess." William mentally patted himself on the back as Yumi laughed and flashed him a smile. It was a good sign that he hadn't expected. Now he needed a way to ask about the return trip and hopefully catch Ulrich in a lie.

Yumi chuckled and looked him over then flashed a smile "looks like the desk got the worst of that. Since you're here, I wanted to thank you for your help. I know you've been helping Jeremy and Aelita on Lyoko, sparing them several transfers as well as carrying their bags to and from the factory and various study sessions." Ulrich flashed a disapproving glare which William returned with a smug smile. Yumi didn't notice the exchange, as Jeremy's computer screen caught her attention. She noticed that it was some type of supercomputer interface and assumed that it was the command log though she didn't get to look closer because William answered her compliment. "It's no problem, after rescuing me and then giving me another chance, it was the least I could do."

Yumi was impressed with William's newfound humbleness and it showed as a smile on Yumi's lips. That put a frown on Ulrich's. This time she did notice but decided to ignore Ulrich's reaction for the moment and instead asked "so, did you come to check on why we went back in time?"

William looked back at her "yeah, it was a little unannounced and I wanted to see what the emergency was. Course I did have to wait until after I had cleaned up my mess to Jim's satisfaction, he heard me fall off my chair and demanded I clean up my room."

Aelita giggled a bit and Jeremy gave a sympathetic look to William as he said "I know what you mean, I've been under Jim's," Jeremy paused slightly and continued in a mock Jim voice, "get that mess cleaned up now." Everyone laughed and it made Ulrich feel that much worse about what he was about to do.

Yumi turned her attention back to Ulrich and said "now, you had an explanation for running an unannounced return trip?" It came out much lighter than she had originally intended but she did nothing to harden the question since she no longer felt mad about what had happened. Funny how being in the company of friends did that.

Ulrich looked around the room and answered, not quite meeting anyone's eye. "I was upset after our fight Yumi, I never intended... Anyway I wandered around for a bit and just kinda, well found myself at the factory. I'm, um, not really sure why, but that's where I went. I fell asleep in the computer lab and then had to scramble back to school. I, well this is kind of embarrassing but, I got caught... on the way in and I couldn't let my dad find out so I ran back to the lab and ran the return to the past program." He was stammering badly and it had none of the self confidant air that he had intended to deliver his story with. Another quick look around the room suggested that his explanation did not go well.

Jeremy and Aelita were staring at him, their eyes practically boring holes right through him. Yumi had lost the good natured look that the previous banter had brought on. She must not have believed the whole thing but was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. Odd was confused, probably wondering why everyone but William was upset. William was trying to keep from breaking out into a smile.

No one said a word and for the next few minutes there was silence until William broke it by asking: "Ulrich, what did you do with your backpack on... Uh?... The erased night?"

Ulrich felt his stomach and heart drop. He hadn't even considered and ,in fact, had forgotten all about his backpack. He figured it was a trap but he didn't know how to answer, there was simply no way of knowing what William, Jeremy, Aelita or Odd knew about the night he had erased. He did know the consequences of being caught in a lie. He wondered if his silence was already convincing everyone of his guilt. That didn't help him and he forced himself to concentrate on an answer. Finally he said "I don't remember if I left it somewhere on campus or what. I didn't have it at the factory."

Aelita spoke up, "Sissy was claiming that you slept in her room, she had your backpack as proof." She sounded angry, as if she believed Sissy over him.

William looked at Ulrich, his voice smug as he said "A pity we can't just ask her."

Odd answered in a defensive tone "she would lie just to break them up, it wouldn't prove anything."

"Look at Ulrich," William said, a bit more harshly than he had intended. "He hasn't been able to look us in the eyes, he's stammering, he's sweating, he just looks guilty."

Again all eyes were on Ulrich and even Odd was starting to look doubtful. Yumi spoke up, "Jeremy, is there any way of proving this one way of the other?"

Jeremy looked thoughtful then turned and started whispering to Aelita. Shortly afterwards Jeremy answered, "well he said he went to the factory so we should have him on the surveillance cameras." Aelita was already up and at the computer, "So Ulrich, how did you enter the factory and what time?" Jeremy sat down on the other chair and scooted close to Aelita.

"I... um... don't remember. I was tired" Ulrich answered.

Aelita started typing on the keyboard and Jeremy watched. Meanwhile William turned back to Ulrich "Well what time do you think you got there? You must have some idea as to when you arrived."

"Don't worry about it," Jeremy started off to preempt the fight he knew would come. "Aelita's coding a search right now. The computer can go through the video and watch for human shaped movement. It'll probably return a few false positives if we scan all of the camera feeds but it's better than us trying to watch the whole recording."

"So anyone want to bet on what time Ulrich arrived at the factory?" Odd asked while everyone was waiting for Aelita to finish the program. After a few minutes of silence Odd said "Oh come on guys, it's Ulrich we're talking about here. Why are we even bothering to check his story, it's not like he would lie."

William had to force himself not to laugh while Yumi scowled. Ulrich had a sick feeling in his stomach. He knew this was the end of his lie. He wouldn't be on the security cameras until morning and once everybody found out he was done, his friends would abandon him to his father. He waited, nervous and frightened until Aelita announced that she was running the program. Ulrich fought down another wave of nausea as Jeremy leaned in and quickly kissed Aelita on the lips to celebrate her success. Yumi smiled slightly at the display and Odd snickered. William finally let himself smile.

After ten minutes the program returned the first result that was Ulrich. The timestamp told Yumi everything she needed to know. The pain of her heart breaking pushed tears to her eyes even as the anger over his betrayal was making her want to shout. Anger won, or maybe her pride just wouldn't let her cry here and now. Either way she shouted: "**You used a return to the past to cover up cheating on me! You caused these injuries and lied to my face to cover up cheating on me! Damn it Ulrich what is wrong with you? You know what, don't answer that, I don't want to know. You want Sissy? Fine, go upstairs and join her little group cause I'm done with you.**" With that she got up and stormed out the door.

Aelita sat in her chair stunned. Ulrich hadn't just betrayed Yumi, he had betrayed her. He had used her hardware, the one thing she had left of her old family, to hurt her de-factor sister. Her fury over Ulrich's betrayal and sympathy for Yumi were at war for control of her body. Jeremy whispered in her ear "Yumi shouldn't be alone right now" and she knew what had to be done. She got up and ran after Yumi. William left next, hoping to catch up to Yumi and try to help console her. This was the moment he had been waiting for and he wasn't going to waste it.

Ulrich ran out of the room with Odd following quickly on his heels. Jeremy saved Aelita's program on the chance that it could come in handy later, closed out the connection to the supercomputer and logged off the secure volume that all Lyoko related things were stored on. Then he went into the hallway and headed towards Ulrich's room. He found it locked and was told in no uncertain terms to go away after knocking.

--

**Kadic Academy, Friday 9:40 PM:** Aelita ran after Yumi who was now headed out of campus and towards her own house. "Yumi, Aelita STOP!" William called out in his most authoritative yell. Yumi looked up and stopped hard, nearly falling out into the street. Luckily for her Aelita was close enough to grab the back of her shirt and steady her. William caught up with the duo and looked over Yumi, "that was a little close," he said through his panting. Aelita watched a red van speeding away from the intersection, its driver obviously not caring about the stop sign or speed limit when in a school zone.

"Nice catch William, thanks" Aelita said as he took a position on the other side of Yumi.

"No problem," William replied.

Aelita looked worriedly at Yumi, "are you ok?"

Silence. Aelita sighed as they began to cross the street. "Come on Yumi, please answer me." She got more silence in return. "Yumi you know you can talk to me, right?"

"Why?" She asked in a despondent tone. "Why did he do it and why lie to me about it?"

Aelita thought for a minute but she was in no mood to try and defend Ulrich. He had hurt both of them and simply didn't deserve it. In the silence William tried to answer her: "I don't know what Ulrich was thinking. I just don't see how he could possibly want someone over you, you're beautiful, smart and way more mature than Sissy. As for why he lied to you, they probably got themselves caught and rather than face the consequences like a man he took the easy way out."

Aelita saw the obvious flaw in that line of reasoning, they would all do that if caught in a similar situation. She decided not to bring it up but she wondered if the more likely answer was that he wanted to have both girls. The thought almost made her sick to her stomach. It definitely increased the anger she felt toward Ulrich.

Yumi looked over to William and said "Thank you" in an almost broken voice.

"You know Yumi, if you need anything I'll be here for you. Unlike Ulrich I'll be faithful and you'll never have to doubt that I love you."

"Thanks William but I'm not in the mood to be hit on right now," Yumi said sadly. "Can I just walk home in silence?" Both her companions nodded yes.

Yumi made it to her house without breaking down and crying then told both William and Aelita to go back to school. Aelita protested, not wanting to leave her alone but Yumi insisted and her parents intervened, letting Yumi run upstairs alone. She tried again with Yumi's mother but failed to secure permission to stay the night. Hoping that Yumi would know that she could call anytime, Aelita walked back down the driveway to where William was waiting for her.

"I wasn't sure if Yumi would want the company right now and I didn't think you should make the trip back alone so I waited. Now come on, if we want to make it back before curfew we're going to have to hurry."

As Aelita quick-walked back to school a thought crossed her mind. All Ulrich had to do was execute the return trip ten minutes earlier. Ten minutes and neither she nor William would have known about the backpack. He could have continued his affair and if he really could do that then maybe he didn't deserve Yumi. Considering the way he had abused her hardware she considered changing the mainframe password and lab access code to lock Ulrich out. As painful as it would be to throw him out of the group like that, what he had just done was so much worse.

William noticed the smoldering anger and the uncertainty on Aelita's face as they waited out a traffic light and took a guess at what was upsetting the pink haired girl. "I'm not sure if you know this but I've loved Yumi since the day I came here and I'm not going to let this chance slip away. But I know I've been an obnoxious jerk at times and I won't repeat that mistake. I know how to treat a girl right and I promise I'll never hurt Yumi like Ulrich has."

Aelita nodded absently, she didn't really know William well enough to know if he was sincere and genuinely in love with Yumi, or just putting on an act because he wanted her. She added worry to the anger she was carrying. She knew that if William was playing a game it was ultimately Yumi who would be hurt by it. But she no longer believed that Yumi and Ulrich would form the couple she had always thought they would. They had always seemed so in love, and both Odd and Jeremy were quite insistent that they were. She and William jogged the rest of the way to Kadic in silence. Another worry popped into her head, would this be her and Jeremy at some point?

--

**Kadic Academy, Odd and Ulrich's room, Friday 9:40 PM:** Ulrich was drowning in self pity. He was every bit the failure that his father said he was. But it wasn't the fault of his friends, it was his. He was the one who wasn't man enough to keep up with all the work he had been avoiding while fighting XANA. He was the one who wasn't man enough to tell Yumi his feelings so long ago. He wasn't even man enough to hold in his emotions. He looked over to Odd, wondering if everyone would be better off without him.

Odd stared back, bitter disappointment mixed with compassion in his gaze. Even though Ulrich had screwed up big, he still deserved to have a friend. He doubted Jeremy and Aelita were going to be very sympathetic right now so it fell to him. "Ulrich, you know she'll forgive you eventually. Just give her some time and tell her what really happened." _At the very least I hope so,_ Odd thought to himself. _But if you really did cheat on her? Then I wouldn't count on that._

"Did you hear her, Odd," Ulrich spat back. "She said it was over. That she was done with me."

"She was upset, girls say lots of things they don't mean when they're upset, trust me, she'll come back."

"Trust you!? You've got a different girl every week! Why don't you just leave, go stay with Jeremy so I can be alone tonight."

"Not happening."

"Fine." Ulrich growled as he got up.

"Hey, where are you going?" Odd asked loudly. As he followed Ulrich down the hall he said "Ulrich, you can't be going to Sissy, if you do that it WILL be the end of you and Yumi."

That was it, the last nerve he had. Ulrich spun and decked Odd, sending him to the ground with a bloody nose. Jim noticed and yelled "Stern! What the hell did you do that for? You'll get to enjoy four hours of detention for that tomorrow now get back to your room." He turned to Odd and, speaking less harshly, said "why don't you go to the infirmary and have that looked at."

"Yes sir," they both replied. Jim watched as Ulrich returned to his room while Odd went to the infirmary.

Ulrich went to his desk and looked around, eyes coming to rest on the only drawer with a lock on it. He took out a key and opened a locked drawer, moving his diary out of the way he looked over his most cherished items. A picture of Yumi brought tears that he fought back, his tears had caused enough trouble. Below that there was a small gift from his father, from a time when he was proud to have had a baby son. "Guess you were right dad, I'm nothing but a failure," He said to the empty room.

To his utter amazement the empty room replied, "you're not a failure."

Ulrich jerked his head up and turned around quickly, finding Sissy standing in the open doorway. "Nicholas texted me that you punched Odd, I came down to see if you were ok."

Memory of all the relief he found in her arms came flooding back. _Yumi's gone_, he thought to himself, _Sissy's willing to take you in. She let you cry, wasn't upset about it and didn't think less of you for it._ He put back his things and locked the drawer then walked slowly to Sissy. He knew it was wrong, especially if he wanted any chance of getting Yumi back, but walked into Sissy's open arms anyway. He wondered if it was a survival instinct, a way of his body protecting itself from the darker corners of his mind. The ones that made him wonder if life was worth living without Yumi.

Jim came in and broke up their hug a minute after it started, roaring orders for Sissy to get back to her room and Ulrich to get ready for bed. He found himself in a familiar position once everyone was gone, he could try again to make it up to Yumi or go to Sissy. Sissy, though still a shadow of Yumi, was starting to look like the better option this time around.

--

**Yumi's house, Yumi's room, Friday 10:00 PM:** Yumi lay in her bed wondering how things had gotten this bad. She was headed to school ready to forgive him, to forget about the fight they'd had and try again. Then the lie. Something had happened between Ulrich and Sissy the last time this night played out and he was hiding it from her. How were they supposed to develop a real relationship if he couldn't open up to her and couldn't be truthful with her. Did he not see how sharing her troubles had brought them closer? Did he not understand that as a couple they were supposed to be there for one another, sharing the burdens of life?

A darker thought crossed her mind, what if he did understand and didn't want to do that with her? Was she not pretty enough for him? Was there something wrong with her. William's words rose up in her mind, "you're beautiful, smart and way more mature than Sissy" he had said. Ulrich had said some of those same things to her, did he mean them? Did William? She turned over the pillow, both sides damp with the tears she had cried and frowned. A wet pillow was all she needed. Then again, with all the questions she had, she probably wasn't going to get much sleep anyway. So many questions, so few answers.

She needed time to work all this out, maybe more than a single night. She began to wonder if Jeremy's initial assessment was correct, that she needed to be away Ulrich and all their baggage. She definitely needed that right now, he evoked a mixture of conflicting emotions that were threatening to tear her apart. Maybe he needed that time too. Whatever the case, she knew that tomorrow was not going to be an easy day.

--

**Kadic Academy, Jeremy's room, Friday 10:40 PM:** Aelita entered the room and shut door as silently as she could manage. She had made it back to campus just in time to make curfew but still wanted to discuss a few things with Jeremy so she had called him and he invited her to spend the night again. He also warned her to be extra cautious since Jim might be on alert after the fight between Odd and Ulrich. Luckily Jim was asleep in his room so sneaking in was no problem. Aelita was wearing her pink nightshirt, sweatpants and socks which she found much more comfortable than her day cloths. She tossed a small bag containing her keys and phone on the desk then slid into bed beside Jeremy. He pulled her tight against himself then pulled the covers over the both of them, leaving one off to compensate for the extra body heat. "Comfortable?"

"Very" she breathed out. "So did Ulrich tell you or Odd what really happened the last time we lived this night?"

"No. All I know is that he's not taking this well but he's refusing my help. Odd was with him though." Jeremy replied in a whisper. "How's Yumi holding up?"

Aelita read the concern in his voice and hated to add to his worries but told him about the walk to Yumi's anyway. "William came with me to walk Yumi home. She asked why he did this and why he would lie to her. I didn't have an answer. William did, he said he didn't understand why Ulrich would cheat since Yumi's beautiful, smart and mature. Thee he told her that Ulrich probably got caught and ran the return trip to avoid the consequences. Finally he took a pass at her, can you believe that?"

Jeremy thought for a moment then answered with some disgust, "Yeah I can. If you recall, William was just about stalking Yumi for a while before he joined our fight and got caught."

"Well Yumi didn't accept but she didn't send him down in flames either. She asked him not to hit on her and asked both of us for silence. When we got to her house she refused to let me stay with her. I didn't have any better luck with her parents."

"Yumi's a strong woman, proud too. Maybe after she's sulked for a night she'll be more willing to talk with you. Tomorrow we'll have to see if there's anything we can do for the two of them. This fight might well be the end of them as a couple and neither of them will recover quickly."

"No" Aelita said with a surprising amount of force, "I'm not sure Ulrich deserves our help. In fact I'm not even sure I want Ulrich to have access to the supercomputer."

Jeremy was startled by the force she had spoken with. But as he took a moment to review their prior conversation he realized that he shouldn't have been surprised, her voice had been hiding quite a bit of anger. "Your upset that he used the computer to do this to Yumi, aren't you?"

"No Jeremy, I'm furious. He betrayed Yumi's trust then betrayed mine to hide it. And if he'd been just a little faster he would have gotten away with it."

Jeremy began rubbing Aelita's side, hoping to calm her down. The bitter anger and intensity of her rant was starting to worry him. Speaking softly Jeremy said "I understand, if you want to lock out Ulrich out of the lab we can do that. I don't think Yumi would object. Odd might but Yumi wouldn't let that objection stand."

Even though he was dreading the reaction he might get from what he was about to say next, Jeremy continued: "But we can't just ignore Ulrich, we owe him our lives many times over. And you should consider how many times we used Ulrich to romantically distract Sissy as a cover for our fight. We are at least partially responsible for the trouble they're in now."

Jeremy's gentle touch was managing to calm her and as the anger faded she was able to give consideration to what Jeremy said. With a sharp, cleansing release of breath she said "You might be right. But what can we do?" In a harsher tone she added "I'm not going to try and set Ulrich back up with Yumi after this."

"I agree that we shouldn't try to force Yumi and Ulrich back together. But we can still be there for them, a sympathetic ear or a shoulder to cry on."

"I can probably manage that, just, maybe you had better be the one to be supportive of Ulrich. I'm not sure I'm ready to forgive him yet."

"I can't blame you for that, considering what he did. But you did say yet," Jeremy said with a sly smile. "Whatever else he is, he's family and I know you'll eventually forgive him. That's one of the many traits I love about you."

Aelita smiled back but it faltered as she considered her next question. She wanted to know, partly because she hoped it would help her help Yumi and partly because she was hoping to avoid her and Jeremy ending up in the same boat as Yumi and Ulrich. With a level of anxiety that was not worthy of the question, Aelita asked: "Jeremy, why would Ulrich cheat on Yumi."

Jeremy caught the emotion in her voice and tried to answer as best he could. He also tried to determine where the fear was coming from so that he could address that as well. "Only Ulrich can answer that correctly, all I can do is guess. I suppose if the relationship was missing something he wanted or needed then he would seek that out in someone else."

Aelita searched her mind, trying to decide what Yumi didn't have that Ulrich would want but couldn't come up with anything. In fact Ulrich had once confided in her that Yumi was everything he could ever want in a girl. The failure didn't help her mood and in a trembling voice she asked "Ulrich once told me that Yumi was everything he wanted in a girl. If that was true then what changed? Why isn't she now?"

"It's possible that Ulrich changed. Now that his life isn't under constant threat from XANA maybe he reevaluated what he wants in a girl or from a relationship. It's also possible that Yumi changed in some way." Aelita briefly wondered if Jeremy could hear her heart falling through the floor as he said that, after all if it was true for Ulrich and Yumi than could the same be true of her and Jeremy? He obviously didn't because he continued without missing a beat. "It may also be possible that Ulrich heard or saw something that triggered his jealous side. He could have went to Sissy out of habit, for the sake of spiting Yumi."

Aelita seized at the second possibility and barley managed to not shout William's name loud enough to wake up the entire floor. "William arranged this to drive a wedge between Ulrich and Yumi and give himself the perfect opportunity to steal her."

Jeremy was, for the second time that night, taken aback at the show of verbal force. He recovered and said "easy princess, you'll wake up the entire floor if you keep this up. I guess he could have set this up but."

"No buts, William did this to break up Ulrich and get Yumi."

Again, another very forceful tone. Putting together the earlier fear in her voice with the death grip she had on the possibility that the situation was engineered by William, Jeremy decided that she was worried that she was seeing the future of her own relationship with him. In his gentlest voice Jeremy simply asked her: "Aelita, are you concerned about Yumi and Ulrich or about us? Are you worried that this is how our relationship will end?"

The voice she used to answer yes was small and almost despondent, a complete one eighty from earlier.

"Aelita, please understand that we'll both undergo changes as we continue to grow and mature, that's inevitable and nothing to fear. It doesn't have to be the end of us as a couple. We need to continue to respect each other, to communicate with each other, and to remain open and honest with each other. We've already laid those foundations and if we continue building that way I think we can stay together forever."

"Forever? I like the sound of that."

"So do I my love, so do I."

Aelita snuggled into Jeremy and let his words echo in her mind. The joy that hearing him say he thought they could stay together forever banished all her other fears, worries and concerns. Totally comfortable in Jeremy's arms and bed she slipped into a deep sleep. Jeremy watched her, his own eyelids starting to feel heavy. He kissed her forehead and whispered "goodnight" before settling his head on the pillow and drifting off to sleep.

--

**Kadic Academy, Infirmary, Friday 11:04 PM:** Odd lie awake in the infirmary, wondering how to fix this. He knew Ulrich was struggling with all the work he needed to do to get his grades up. He knew how upset Ulrich was over the loss of Yumi. He didn't know what had happened on the erased night. He did know that Ulrich used a return to the past to cover it up. He assumed that it had something to do with Sissy, but only because Aelita's story suggested it. None of this helped him formulate a plan.

Yumi and Ulrich had to be put back together as a couple. In the good old days, a XANA attack would eventually do that. There were no more XANA attacks, though that didn't mean he couldn't fake one given enough time and preparation. If he got them to Lyoko and stranded them there, maybe they would eventually make up. On the other hand, their parents might have search parties out looking for them long before that happened.

An easier way to use Lyoko came to mind. Jeremy and Aelita had fought once before she was materialized. Jeremy went to Lyoko to apologize but Yumi made a mistake in the transfer procedure, trapping Jeremy in what he called the digital void. Aelita rescued him but in the process they had shared a piece of each other's mind. Maybe the two geniuses could make that happen for Yumi and Ulrich. He might need to charm Sissy into giving him the pictures he had of his blond and pink haired friends for use as motivation. But whatever he would have to pay Sissy it would be a small price to pay for Ulrich and Yumi.

Of course the old fashioned way might work just as well. If he could prevent them from forming other relationships they would eventually come back together. But keeping William away from Yumi and Sissy away from Ulrich would be like keeping him away from Rosa's mashed potatoes. Maybe he could just annoy the new couples until they broke up. Or maybe they would beat him into a pulp first. Maybe he could convince Yumi and Ulrich that this was a Sissy and William plot and they were manipulated into breaking up.


	8. Long morning, worse day

Authors note: This one really didn't want to get written but after three revisions it's finished. Read and enjoy.

tranquilitygal95 - Thank you for the kind words. You hit the nail on the head, I really hadn't decided until now which way I wanted to take Yumi and Ulrich either. I've made up my mind though the answer ends up in chapter 9. Sorry.

AussieUlrich - You couldn't have told me that 30,000 words ago :-) It's a little too late to change this story but I'll keep that in mind for the future.

Kitty Bridgeta - Ok, this one is a bit shorter. Thank you for the name suggestions.

**--**

**Kadic Academy, Ulrich's room, Saturday 1:38 AM:** Sissy was surprised to find the door to Ulrich and Odd's room unlocked. She slipped in and saw that Odd's bed looked unoccupied. She looked over to the other side of the room and saw Ulrich lying in his bed fast asleep. She silently closed and locked the door, hoping that she was not mistaken about earlier. She gently shook Ulrich's shoulder and put a single finger to his lips to, hopefully, silence any outburst of surprise. She succeeded in waking Ulrich but had to bite back a yelp of her own as Ulrich sat up quickly and grabbed then twisted her wrist. "Ulrich, it's me, Sissy." She said in a strained whisper.

"Sissy?" Ulrich whispered back as he released her wrist and let his hand fall back to his side. "What are you doing here," he asked in a harsh whisper.

She put a hand on Ulrich's shoulder and answered "I came to check on you. I just wanted to make sure you were ok." On a whim she traced down his arm, her fingertips gliding over his skin until she found his hand. She placed her palm against his and closed her fingers.

Ulrich shivered as pleasure collided with fear. He closed his hand around hers, welcoming the contact as much as restraining her from touching him like that again. As she stood there beside his bed he had a nice view of what her belly shirt wasn't covering. The shorts she wore weren't helping him concentrate either. "I'm um fine, thanks." He said in a shaky voice.

Sissy stood there as his hand closed around hers and began to stroke his hand with her thumb. After a couple of minutes she said "Ulrich?" In a soft, warm voice.

"Yeah?" He answered, sounding a bit distracted.

"Did... you want.... I mean I... I can stay if... you know... you want me to?" Sissy asked hesitantly and hopefully. She wanted to stay like this, enjoying the possibility that he was enjoying this. But she wanted more as well. She desperately hoped that he'd let her climb in bed with him and hold her as she slept. It had been such a powerful fantasy and now she was here, so very close to making it real.

Ulrich considered his options. He wanted to take her up on the offer, partly to know what it felt like to not sleep alone. Partly to satisfy at least some of the desire she was responsible for awakening in him. And partly because he felt guilty for the way he had used her the last time they lived this night, dumping all his stress unto her shoulders for her to bear. It didn't really matter that she didn't remember, he knew what he had done. Giving in and fulfilling that fantasy would make him even, at least in his mind.

But he doubted if there was any future with Yumi if he granted her request and it was surprising how much that still hurt him. There had been no uncertainty when Yumi told him it was over, her pained and angry words and voice made it clear. And yet she had always forgiven him in the past and that gave him hope. He looked up at Sissy who, he was sure though it was too dark to actually tell, was silently pleading with him to accept. He looked inward and wondered if he'd ever get over Yumi. He'd tried once, when she had said they were just friends, and failed miserably. And the truth was he didn't want to be over her, even now. He decided to try again with Yumi, at least once more. He wasn't sure he could live with himself if he didn't. This time though he would have to be tougher, would have to find a better release for when his stress got to be too much. Having made up his mind, he told Sissy no.

Reluctantly she let go of his hand and left the room as slowly as she thought he would tolerate, hoping that he would call her back. Her disappointment carried her through the hallway but as she climbed the stairs she thought of a way to ask again. She stopped at the girls landing and waited for what, she hoped, was a reasonable amount of time. Then she turned around and went back to Ulrich's door, knocking softly. She hoped the dim light would conceal the deception she was planning.

"One of the girls is up, I can't get past." She said, hoping there was enough worry in her voice to convince Ulrich and that he didn't realize she was faking it.

"What do you mean you can't get past her, just say you had to go to the bathroom."

"I don't think she'd believe that the bathroom is in the stairwell."

"You couldn't have waited in the stairwell until she went back into her own room?"

"She's pacing around, what if she caught me peaking on her from the stairwell?" She thought she had concealed her momentary panic well.

Ulrich blew out a frustrated breath "alright, you can stay here for a little bit and try to sneak back up later."

She immediately gave Ulrich a peck on the cheek and suppressed the gleeful chirp she wanted to make. She followed Ulrich back to his bed and sat down. "Hopefully she'll be asleep shortly then I can sneak back up," she said just a little to brightly.

Sissy left and came back twice, once after waiting in Ulrich's room for ten minutes and the second time after twenty. She finally convinced Ulrich to let her stay the night and set his alarm clock to go off early. She approached Ulrich's bed only to have to bite back an angry growl when Ulrich told her to sleep in Odd's bed. She approached her assigned bed, noticed Kiwi asleep on the pillow and grinned. She tried to shoo him off and got an angry growl. She tried again only to have him growl more loudly. She hid her smile and turned to Ulrich, "I don't think Kiwi's going to let me share the bed." She hoped that Ulrich didn't notice the happiness that had crept into her voice.

"Well I guess you can sleep on the floor. I have a sleeping bag around here somewhere." Ulrich said as he got out of bed and reached for the flashlight on his desk.

"No such thing as chivalry anymore?" Sissy retorted. "You know we _can_ share the bed, I don't take up that much room." When he didn't change his mind she added "no one has to know." It sounded hollow even to her own ears. If she spent the night with Ulrich she wanted to brag, after all there was no point in being with the hottest guy at school if you couldn't show it off. She would grant that that wasn't the only thing valuable about Ulrich but it was important to her.

"Chivalry," Ulrich grunted, "well then you can take the bed and I'll sleep on the floor if that's what you want."

Sissy resigned herself to not having her fantasy fulfilled. "No, it's ok. You can have the bed and I'll take the floor." Some of her bitter disappointment spilled into the words.

Ulrich heard it and asked: "Are you sure? It really isn't a problem if you want the bed."

"I only wanted the bed because you were in it. I'm not some silly little princess that needs every imaginable comfort." It looked like Ulrich shook his head no, though it was difficult to tell. She watched as Ulrich began to unroll the sleeping bag he found.

Ulrich tried not to laugh as he unrolled the sleeping bag. It reminded him of the trip to the lake, of Sissy fussing about trying to live without electricity, multiple tons of makeup and her full wardrobe. Come to think of it, even Jeremy and Aelita had an easier time of camping. It probably helped that they went off on their own little nature walk after the assignments were complete. Aelita had even convinced him to leave the laptop behind. And that reminded him of all he wanted to have with Yumi but didn't. "Good night Sissy." He said a little too harshly as he got into bed. He tried to push the thoughts out of his head and sleep.

Sissy looked up at Ulrich's bed and knew something was wrong. She wondered if she had screwed up with her last line and pushed the thought aside. Forcing her voice neutral she replied "good night Ulrich." Sissy crawled into the sleeping bag and tried to sleep, the failure to secure her dream night making that difficult.

**--**

**Kadic Academy, Jeremy's room, Saturday 5:31 AM:** Aelita woke to find herself in Jeremy's bed, wrapped in his arms and face to face with him. She felt better, having had another night's sleep with the boy she loved and a conversation that had both eased her fears and raised her hopes for their future. She watched him sleep, careful to remain still so as not to wake him, for a few minutes before an idea presented itself. Blushing a little she decided to go for it.

Jeremy woke up as something soft and warm pressed itself against his lips. He breathed in, his nostrils filling with Aelita's personal scent. He opened his eyes and smiled into her kiss before returning it and they spent the next few minutes trading soft, sweet kisses. Aelita decided to try for a little bit more and began letting each kiss linger. Jeremy picked up on the hint and, finding the confidence he gained from their conversation on the previous morning, he began to deepen each kiss. Aelita responded positivity, giving Jeremy everything he needed to begin making out with her.

Before long they were lost in a world that was both created and filled by the love and sensation they were exchanging. Unfortunately, the real world eventually managed to invaded their little bubble in the form of Jeremy's alarm clock ringing. Jeremy pulled away reluctantly and reached out, swatting the snooze button.

With a devilish smile Aelita looked into his eyes and asked "Was that the snooze button?"

"Yes," he replied with a smirk before claiming her lips. Their make out session resumed where they had left off and continued until the alarm rang for the second time. This time it was Aelita who slowly pulled away and switched off the alarm. Looking at Jeremy with a satisfied grin she asked "did you enjoy your wakeup call?" Of course she didn't really need an answer, the look on his face told her everything.

"Very much." Jeremy replied, sounding like someone who just had one of his life's great dreams fulfilled.

"Good, so did I." Aelita gave Jeremy a very mischievous smile as she continued in a sly voice "are you sure that was your first time?"

Jeremy gave her a strange look and answered in a slightly shy voice. "Yes."

Aelita giggled, "have I ever told you how cute you are when you're flustered?"

Jeremy playfully slapped her arm, "have I ever told you how mean you are?"

"Me?" She asked faking a shocked tone. "Your precious, sweet angel, mean?"

"Yes you." Jeremy replied with mock seriousness.

"Jeremy!" Aelita replied, clearly faking her outrage. "How could you say something like that about me?"

Jeremy looked at the clock and realized that he needed to end this little game, although he regretted to do so. "Easy," Jeremy replied in a serious voice, "you know I love you and would never actually mean something like that."

Aelita took the hint, glanced over at the alarm clock herself and realized that it was indeed time for her to go. In a genuinely warm, loving voice she said "I do, and I wasn't joking or teasing with what I said earlier. In fact I'm looking forward to continuing where we left off at some point in the near future."

"As am I. Love ya princess."

"Love you too."

Jeremy checked the hallway and motioned to Aelita that it was safe. Without a sound, she slipped out the door and made her way back to her room. She again had to force herself to stay calm in order to make it back to her own room undetected. As she entered her empty room she realized that she did not yet actually live with Jeremy and wouldn't be able to spend every night with him. The simple fact was almost painful and she forced it from her mind, concentrating instead on making out with Jeremy for the first time. On reflection, it started out slow but had become everything she had hoped for and then some. It led to thoughts of how much farther they could go and while such thoughts filled her with excitement she could also feel a healthy dose of fear. She remembered words sent over an encrypted channel from her father telling her that she had time, that she didn't need to rush into anything. Her heart seemed to be telling her that in the fear she was feeling. She wondered if it would speak loudly enough if they got caught up in what they were doing. She wondered if it even mattered. They had faced death, both their own and each others, to get here. Surely they could handle sex, even if it came a little earlier than expected.

Jeremy went back to his bed and began to make it, his senses still tingling with the memory of making out with Aelita. A little bit of worry forced its way into this thoughts as they lingered on that. He had easily surrendered himself to what they were doing, and he assumed that she had as well. He felt his face heat up as he considered the possibility of going too far, of simply getting caught up in the moment and being unable to stop. It scared him, even though Aelita had just about said she was ready. He wondered if she really understood the possible consequences. It wasn't unreasonable to simply assume that they could handle the emotional ones considering all they had been through but if she got pregnant? He pushed away the worries and let himself focus on what they had so recently shared. He could talk to her later, discuss this in private and maybe with his parents if need be.

--

**Kadic Academy, Ulrich's room, Saturday 6:30 AM:** Sissy woke up and extracted herself from the sleeping bag she was in. Memories of last night, of how she had failed to convince Ulrich to sleep with her filtered into her consciousness. Resolving to handle this morning better she walked to the desk to shut off the alarm that had woken her. Her hand covered Ulrich's as he reached out to do the same. "Good morning" she greeted with a yawn. She stretched herself out, trying to overcome the stiffness in her muscles that resulted from sleeping on the floor. She hadn't even considered what she was doing and was overcome with excitement when she noticed Ulrich watching her shirt inch its way up her body. She continued stretching until she hit her limit and held the pose for as long as she could. As she returned to normal she thought she saw a flicker of disappointment flash across Ulrich's face. She smiled at the thought of Ulrich lusting after her even as it made her feel nervous and self conscious.

Ulrich had watched with great interest as Sissy's shirt rose and he couldn't hide all of his disappointment as her shirt fell back to its normal place. He was excited, embarrassed and ashamed all at once. It wasn't right to look at Sissy that way, especially since he wasn't yet ready to make her his girlfriend. The little show was definitely making some of him think twice about Yumi though. He pulled his attention away from Sissy's stomach and looked up at her face as he wished her a very awkward good morning. He got out of bed and began to offer an apology when he was cut off.

Sissy stopped his apology by stepping closer and wrapping her arms around his neck. Tilting her head up while gently pushing his head down until their lips met in a soft kiss. Instead of returning the kiss, Ulrich pulled away, leaving Sissy standing there with her hands on his shoulders looking dismayed. "Why. I saw."

"I'm sorry for looking at you like that." Ulrich apologized, ignoring her attempt to wave off his shame. "And I'm just not ready." Ulrich finished.

"Does this have anything to do with why you punched Odd or called yourself a failure last night? You're not you know. Not to me." She said as kindly as she could.

"Thank you, I'm glad you think so but no." Ulrich's smile faded as he continued "I need to talk over a few things with Yumi. I." Ulrich shook his head sadly, "Until I know where I stand with her I can't start anything else."

Sissy decided to not let this chance get away. She remembered how he had looked at her and said: "I bet Yumi won't let you do anything like this." Swallowing her discomfort, she pulled her shirt up a little and placed Ulrich's hand against her bare stomach.

Ulrich's mind went blank as he felt her hot stomach under his cool hand. He didn't move or speak or breath, he was simply lost in the rush of hormones and feelings that Sissy's action triggered. He had no idea how long he stood there frozen but as the torrent subsided he came to realize that there was something missing. He had no explanation for the feeling, it was just that he expected something more and it wasn't there. He was more relieved than disappointed when Sissy returned his hand to his side.

She held his hand pressed against her skin even as she her shirt fall back down, covering a few of his fingers. She had been lost in her own flood of emotions and as they faded she began to be able to process some of them. She was excited, few things had felt better than having Ulrich's hand pressed against her bare stomach. But as she looked up to face him she realized that he had a very different impression of what was happening. She shivered as she realized just what it was he might think she was offering. She carefully pulled his hand away from her skin and returned it to his side before letting go. She breathed deeply, unaware until now that she had been holding her breath.

Sissy backed away from Ulrich, noticing the shame and embarrassment written across his face. Without another word she turned and left the room. She was at war with herself as she made her way upstairs. She felt like a coward for chickening out on seducing Ulrich, so many of the girls on the television shows she liked to watch wouldn't have had a problem with finishing what she had started. But she was also grateful that he didn't take her up on the implied offer. However shallow others saw her as, she was well above trading herself for the privilege of parading Ulrich around the school as her pet.

--

**Yumi's house, Saturday 8:50 AM:** Yumi rushed out the door, anxious to get away from her mom's reminder that she would be late for class but in no hurry to get to school. She was not ready to face Ulrich or William though she knew she would have to. She was not ready to face a school day, having gotten almost no sleep as a result of her turmoil. She at least had some sort of decision in hand, she was going to avoid both boys while she straightened out her head. Afterwards, she might be able to give Ulrich another shot or see if any of her feelings towards William change.

Her hopes for a quiet, brisk walk to school were shattered as felt herself being followed. She quickened her pace but still felt as if she was still being pursued. Tensing for a fight She turned quickly to surprise whoever was behind her and saw William. He greeted her with a cheery good morning before she could say or do anything.

"Hi William," she replied in an aggravated voice. "Why are you here?"

"I just thought I'd walk you to school, see how you were doing in the process." William replied cordially.

"I'm fine, and I don't need an escort" she snapped.

"Pretend otherwise if you want but you just broke up with Ulrich who, despite your denial, was your boyfriend. It's ok to feel bad about it and."

Yumi cut him off, "I neither want nor need your pity."

William was stung by her tone but tried not to let it show. "Yumi, like it or not Ulrich will never love you the way you want him to. I will. There will be no hesitation, no reservations, and no doubts. I'll love you the way you deserve to be loved." As an afterthought he added "if you'll let me."

Yumi considered as she walked, but couldn't shake the doubt out of her head. She wasn't over Ulrich and wasn't ready to face what would happen if William wasn't as sincere as his words sounded or if he turned out to be just like Ulrich, unable to share himself fully but expecting her to. "I'm not ready to take that leap of faith so just leave me alone."

William, not about to let this chance slip away no matter how tough she sounded, decided to try again. "I'm not leaving you alone, you need help to get through this and since the rest of your friends are more interested in forcing you and Ulrich back together than in helping you get over him I want to help."

Yumi sighed in frustration, "Aelita won't try and stick me back with Ulrich unless I tell her that's what I want. Since Aelita has my back you can feel safe leaving me alone. SO LEAVE ME ALONE."

"Come on Yumi, just give me a chance, one date. I promise you won't regret it."

Yumi considered, one date didn't sound so bad and afterwards she could say she didn't like him and that would be it. It sounded so easy. But she knew that it was too easy. William would almost certainly beg for another chance after that. She could be mean and string him along for a bit then dump him but that could get messy. He didn't exactly send out a reassuring vibe and that simply wasn't the type of person she was. Without an answer she chose to delay. "I need time William. I need to pull myself together before I can even think about starting another relationship."

"What's there to think about? It's one evening. It's nothing more than dinner and a movie if that's all you want. But I know I can fix that broken heart of yours, give me a chance to help you heal."

"I can't William. This is something I have to fix on my own."

William growled in frustration, "No Yumi, it's not."

"Yes, it is." Yumi said with what she hoped was enough force to convince William to give up.

"You, Jeremy, Aelita and Odd are running yourselves ragged to help Ulrich. Even I've helped Ulrich even though it hurts me, makes my dreams less likely to come true. I told Ulrich once, before I was captured, that he had your heart for the asking and that I'd back off because I could see how much you two meant to each other."

Yumi was stunned for a moment and searched her memory. She did recall a short window where he had indeed backed off. If he was telling the truth, if he had really put her happiness before his own goal of having her. That told her more about him than any of his declarations of love ever could. Her face softened as she looked him over and when she spoke, her tone was firm but soft. "I'm really not ready to try another relationship right now. Honestly, I don't think that I'm over Ulrich yet. No, don't make that face. Ulrich and I have been through so much together, it's not a bond that will break easily or fully. I really do need the time to myself. Give me that?"

William nodded, "Ok, I'll give you your space. But find me if you need anything that you can't get from Aelita or Jeremy or if all they are willing to do is put you back with Ulrich against your wish."

Though she was uncertain as to whether or not she would take him up on the offer she agreed. William walked the rest of the way back to school in comfortable silence and the pair arrived just in time for first period.

--

**Kadic City, 7:42 PM:** Aelita walked beside Jeremy as they made their way back to school. She was moping, because before she started to feel sick the date had been going perfectly. The feeling in her stomach wasn't severe enough to make her think she had food poisoning but there was definitely something wrong. When she told Jeremy about it he immediately asked if she wanted to back to school and maybe see the nurse, his concern overriding whatever disappointment he had felt. She agreed to go back to school but didn't answer on seeing the nurse. In truth she felt unsettled like she had either forgotten something or had a friend in danger. So as she walked she was considering the day's events wondering if there was an explanation in the memories somewhere.

Their morning had left both of them excited and feeling closer than ever. It also put thoughts in their heads that neither was particularly comfortable with but which both found very tempting. They tabled a discussion of those ideas since they didn't have the privacy they would need. Then she suggested they go see a movie, Jeremy had readily agreed and booted his computer to look up movie schedules.

While they were busy with movie showings Odd dropped in with a crazy plan to get Yumi and Ulrich back together. Both of them immediately vetoed his plan as too dangerous and far too invasive. Sharing her mind with Jeremy had been an amazing experience but one that was completely under her control since she had been using her command of Lyoko to sustain his mind and could cut the connection at any time. Yumi and Ulrich wouldn't have that luxury if they were linked together on Lyoko, they would be open books with nothing stopping them from looking at every memory, every experience, every thought. She knew, from the Scyphozoa, what kind of violation that was and she refused to let anyone do that to Yumi or Ulrich. Odd backed off when he saw how much pain any thought of the Scyphozoa caused her and apologized profusely at breakfast.

While at breakfast Ulrich and Sissy kept giving each other the strangest looks. Sometimes he looked concerned, sometimes apologetic, and sometimes guilty. It seemed like he was completely uncomfortable with her yet couldn't keep himself from looking. Ulrich, of course, refused to explain and Odd didn't know anything since he spent the night in the infirmary. Jeremy had no better idea than she did. Over all the whole thing left a bad taste in her mouth even though she couldn't quite place why.

Then, during the short time between classes, they heard a rumor that Sissy had spent the night with Ulrich. She figured that if they regretted something they had done it would explain Ulrich's behavior. She could understand why Ulrich would regret doing anything with Sissy though why his reaction was different this time was a mystery. Another thing she didn't understand was why Sissy regretted it. From all outward appearances Sissy wanted Ulrich about as badly as one person could want another. She certainly wasn't shy about trying to get that type of attention from him either. It was troubling because it had implications for her and Jeremy when they got to that point. She made a mental note to bring it up later. She had almost forgot about that and didn't feel uncomfortable enough about talking to Jeremy to cause her sick feeling. She moved on.

At lunch they met up with Yumi who had taken the rumors in stride. Yumi had figured that if the rumors were true Sissy would be the one bragging. She also wondered out loud if Ulrich had refused her and that's why he felt guilty, he had crushed one of her big dreams. It might also have explained Sissy's behavior. After eating lunch with her and Jeremy, Yumi went home saying that she didn't feel good. Jeremy said it sounded like an excuse then pointed out Ulrich staring longingly at Yumi as she left. Yumi's opinion added to her confusion over the possible consequences of her and Jeremy's deepening relationship but it still wouldn't make her feel sick.

After Lunch Sissy managed to get Ulrich off the hook for the detention he earned yesterday though how she did it and what it would cost were unknown. Then after his tutoring session Ulrich asked Jeremy how he could fix things with Yumi, went pale as Jeremy told him to tell her everything and beg for forgiveness and finally left after Jeremy told him it might not be possible to fix this after everything else that had happened.

Lost in thought as she was she didn't notice Jeremy's phone ring or that he answered it. Instead she was abruptly pulled out of her own mind by Jeremy yelling "YOU DID WHAT! NO! DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE, YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH. We're on our way."

--

**Author's note:** It's ok, you can all call me mean for the cliffhanger (though you can probably figure out what happened) if you need to. Till next time.


	9. Odd's plan, everyone's problem

Author's notes: Thanks everyone for the reviews, I'm glad you're all enjoying my hard work.

tranquilitygal95: Your review just so happened to make my week so thank you.

--

**Factory, Computer lab, 7:10 PM:** Odd had his master plan ready. Herve had been, after a little persuasion, kind enough to create a drug to briefly knock out Yumi and Ulrich in the chemistry lab. With that taken care of he convinced Yumi that Aelita wanted to talk to her at the computer lab. Then he talked Ulrich into meeting him at the computer lab. William had apparently agreed to give Yumi her space but just to be safe he got William detention for a prank he didn't pull. Jeremy and Aelita would have pulled the plug on his little operation but since they were on a date he had no reason to fear interference from Lyoko's guardians.

He did regret that they refused to help as they would have made the whole thing much easier. But since he had been forced to endure a short lecture and then apologize for the suggestion when he brought it up he wouldn't feel guilty when he interrupted their date so they could separate Yumi and Ulrich. He expected it to be a quick procedure as the two geniuses probably still had the program they used to separate him from Kiwi. The memory of that caused him to shudder, he could still remember exactly how some of the less edible things Kiwi liked to find tasted and smelled. He expected Yumi and Ulrich would have more pleasant memories of what was about to happen.

Now, as he settled into the big chair and waited, he went over his plan. He would drug his two friends, drag them into the same scanner and virtualize them. They would arrive on Lyoko, feel each other's love and announce that they were a couple. Then he could call in Jeremy and Aelita who would separate the pair and thank him for saving Yumi and Ulrich's relationship. He smiled, looking forward to holding this over all of their heads for a while. He expected it would earn him a nice vacation or a free pass on a few pranks. It was the ultimate win-win situation.

Ulrich entered the computer lab to find Odd sitting in the computer chair. After a short chat he accepted Odd's offer of a drink and then collapsed shortly after consuming it. Odd pulled Ulrich's body into the elevator and then wrestled it into a scanner, all the while wishing he had convinced Ulrich to go to the scanner room before offering him the spiked drink. Once Ulrich was inside the scanner tube he hurried back to the lab as he realized it was just about time for Yumi to arrive.

She entered and immediately knew something was wrong because Odd was there instead of Aelita. Without waiting for an explanation, she told him exactly where he could shove his plans to get her and Ulrich back together. Odd, looking quite contrite, spoke with practiced ease. "This isn't about Ulrich. I wasn't sure what William would do if he found out I was asking you this and both Jeremy and Aelita disapprove, saying you need time but I figured you might need someone to be more than a friend right now and I've."

Yumi cut him off with an astonished yell. "Wait! You tricked me into coming down here to ask me out?"

"Well, yeah." Odd lied. He added quickly, "I guess I don't really expect you to say yes, at least right now but." At the look Yumi was giving him he changed track. "Yeah sorry, I should've known better. You want a soda on me for the trouble?"

Yumi looked him over, trying to decide if he was sincere or trying to pull some sort of prank. Finally she simply accepted the drink and asked what he was trying to pull. Odd made up an answer and backed away as Yumi's face contorted in fear and anger as the drug took effect. She was out before she could really do anything and Odd began the process of dragging her to the scanner. That look on her face was the first sign that this may have been a bad plan and he cursed both Jeremy and Aelita for making him do this solo.

Once back in the lab he brought up Yumi's profile and tried to virtualize them only to have the process stop with an error which he disregarded without reading. He tried again using Ulrich's profile and got what might have been the same error. Seeing no other option he deleted both their profiles and tried to create a new one from scratch. The procedure failed again and, now frustrated and fearing that he was running short on time he tried to find a list of commands. Eventually he found a program labeled 'scan object to Lyoko'. Ignoring the warning that it was for test purposes and obsolete, superseded by what he recognized as the normal transfer program, he ran it. He began to panic after the program reported a successful transfer but didn't create any profile cards.

He ran down to the scanners and found all three empty then raced back to the lab's terminal, trying to control his deepening state of panic. Frantically he typed in half remembered commands for a detailed sweep of Lyoko and, after over a dozen attempts, got it to run. The program found nothing alive on Lyoko. His next thought was to run a return to the past but in his panicked state he couldn't remember the password. When he got the 'enter correct password or else' screen he gave up, pulled out his cell phone and called Jeremy. After explaining the situation he heard Jeremy yell "YOU DID WHAT! NO! DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING ELSE, YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH. We're on our way." Jeremy hung up without another word, leaving Odd to consider what he had just done and whether or not Jeremy and Aelita would be able to undo it.

--

**Kadic City, 7:48 PM:** "What was that all about?" Aelita asked very concerned as her attention snapped to the here and now.

"Odd may have just killed Yumi and Ulrich by trying to virtualize them together, in the same scanner." Jeremy barked out.

"That's, It's not... I mean after... we" Aelita started off scared and a little dazed.

"Odd found a way so let's get to the factory and see if we can undo his mess," Jeremy interrupted in a hard, commanding tone. Aelita nodded, regained her focus and then took off running alongside Jeremy.

--

**Factory, Computer lab, 8:03 PM:** They arrived and went straight to the terminal, completely ignoring Odd. A quick look at the command logs showed the pair what Odd had done and the program he used to do it. The next thing they did was pull up the program, the grim expression on their faces as the read over the code telling Odd just how badly he screwed up. After getting to the bottom of the program they began discussing what they had read and how it compared to the normal transfer procedure.

Odd used a thoughtful lull in the conversation to ask: "So we just run a return to the past right?" He sounded and looked hopeful even though he understood none of the techno babble he had heard.

"Only if you want two dead friends." Jeremy responded angrily.

"Why would they be."

"Because you used the supercomputer to do this to them." Jeremy replied harshly, cutting Odd Off.

Aelita threw an icy almost deadly glare at Odd as she thought, _this is a waste of our time_. "SHUT UP AND LET US FIGURE THIS OUT." Aelita snapped. "NO, BETTER YET LEAVE AND LET US FIGURE THIS OUT."

Odd turned away and walked solemnly to the elevator. As Aelita heard the elevator door begin to shut she added "DON'T BOTHER COMING BACK."

Jeremy put a hand on her shoulder, "Aelita, I know your upset but focus. I need your help to save Yumi and Ulrich." He used the closest thing to a gentle voice he could manage but it still came out as a command. Aelita snapped her attention back to the monitors, silently thankful be called upon to help. As she looked over the program on the monitor an idea flashed through her mind.

"Can we materialize them using the code Earth software you made for me?" She asked.

Jeremy's expression turned thoughtful then sad as he rejected the idea. "They're not an active program and they don't have virtual DNA to work on so no." The idea did get him thinking along a different line though.

"Jeremy, I can see you thinking, talk to me. I need to help." Aelita said, sounding a bit like she was pleading. She really did not want to feel useless right now.

"They're not programs." Jeremy said. "But everything that defines them is on Lyoko, in the supercomputer's memory. Nothing more than a whole bunch of data describing, to an almost perfect level of accuracy, their bodies."

"How does that help us, we can't just send them back to the scanners."

"True," Jeremy agreed. His face brightened as he came up with plan so crazy it just had to work. "But maybe we can send the scanners to them," Jeremy said excitedly.

Aelita thought for a moment. "You think we can manually work through the virtualization process in software, restore their normal profile and then de-virtualize them as if nothing had happened." Aelita asked, a bit of doubt present in her voice.

"Why not?" Jeremy asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We have everything we need in memory and the scanner schematics and control programs are more easily available now than when I made your code Earth program."

Aelita thought for only a few seconds before coming to the conclusion that he was right. Unfortunately, there was a possible problem and while she hated to dampen the mood she knew that this was a complex undertaking and that they couldn't stay hidden forever. "That may take too long, what if it takes longer than we can cover with a return to the past," she asked solemnly.

Jeremy's face fell and he thought for a while then asked, "How much CPU time do you think the computer wastes in idle mode?"

"Why?" Aelita demanded, exasperated at the sudden change in subject. Then she realized and her face brightened. "You want to speed up Lyoko, make it run faster than real time with the cycles that currently go to waste."

"Yup." Jeremy replied, happy to know that Aelita was on the same page he was.

"We'll need the terminal in sector five to accomplish that." She made no attempt to hide how she felt about that considering how her last trip there went.

"Yes." Jeremy answered as he set up the delayed self transfer programs. He got up and put a hand on each of her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. "This time will go better than the last. We will get them back." Jeremy said confidently.

--

**Lyoko, Celestial dome, Sunday 5:00 AM (32 hours spent on Lyoko):** Aelita put the finishing touches on her program while Jeremy reset the simulation to run at normal speed. Then Jeremy redirected the active tower's resources to the programs that he and Aelita had made and together they tapped the virtual button that launched the sequence.

First it reformed atoms and then molecules and finally cells within a special simulation bubble and allowed Jeremy to define the boundaries between the two human forms within. Next the drugs that Odd had given to Yumi and Ulrich were filtered out of their systems and discarded. A third program sprang to life, analyzing the collected data and forming a map of both subjects DNA. The forth program came on-line and found Yumi and Ulrich's brain, reconstructed their brain waves from the position, concentration and travel direction of the electrons contained within then mapped their neurons into a format that the human mind simulator could use. Finally a fifth program used the DNA to encrypt the two profiles in the same manor that the scanners did.

After five hours of impatient, worried waiting everything was ready and both Jeremy and Aelita ran to the arena. Jeremy used his wrist interface to bring Yumi and Ulrich's profiles on-line. He reached out and took Aelita's hand, flashing her a hopeful, reassuring smile when he realized that squeezing her hand was useless. A familiar sound caught their attention and together they watched as two wireframes popped into existence and were filled with familiar textures.

The first thing Yumi realized was that she was falling, which made no sense. Her situation made even less sense when she hit the ground and felt nothing. She inhaled, thinking she had been holding her breath and noticed that there were no scents in the air and, in fact, no air at all even though she knew she was breathing. She surveyed her surroundings, finding herself in a round, white and blue room. Her vision was perfect, every detail razor sharp but the colors were oversaturated and unreal looking. She tried to figure out how she got here and where here was but her memories were hazed, disjointed and jumbled. Two slightly familiar looking forms were baring down on her and some form of combat instinct took over, causing her to fall back then take an aggressive fighting stance. With a chi-think sound she pulled and opened her fans, instinctively knowing how to use them. She didn't have time to wonder about that as she fell down, suddenly feeling dizzy and disconnected as her mind reprocessed memories that she should have already had.

The first thing Ulrich noticed was that he was falling, which made no sense. His situation made even less sense when he hit the ground and felt nothing. He looked around his surroundings and jumped to his feet, feeling a sudden, overpowering need to protect the girl who was unarmed and standing ready for a fight. He charged toward her attackers and called out "supersprint!" The next thing he knew he was on the other side of the arena laid out on the floor and remembering everything.

Jeremy and Aelita rushed forward towards Yumi and slowed, shocked as she retreated then turned and took up a fighting stance. She reached around behind her and pulled out her fans, preparing to throw them even though she looked confused over their presence and function. Then came the yell of "supersprint" and Jeremy froze, hoping that Aelita would too since they still had a few things to check before attempting to materialize Yumi and Ulrich. He watched as a yellow blur raced past and crashed into the wall on the other side of the arena. Aelita froze at the familiar yell but instead of watching Ulrich race past, she watched as Yumi fell to the ground.

Jeremy went over to Ulrich and helped him pick himself up while Aelita did the same for Yumi. Both Yumi and Ulrich allowed themselves to be escorted to the center and then they turned towards their rescuers and demanded to know what happened. Jeremy and Aelita looked at each other then at their two friends. Jeremy spoke, "promise me that after we tell you what happened you won't de-virtualize either of us."

Yumi, remembering that she had been drugged by Odd after he asked her out, glared at Jeremy "Being de-virtualized will be the least of your worries if you don't start talking right now."

Aelita looked Yumi in the eye "If you de-virtualize yourselves it could kill both of you" she said harshly. "Jeremy and I will explain what happened to you but you both need to keep your cool, you won't like what you hear and neither Jeremy nor I are certain you can be safely de-virtualized right now." Aelita's calm, measured tone didn't quite hide the terror behind her words. Neither Ulrich nor Yumi seemed impressed by her attempt at diplomacy and neither of them heard the undercurrent of fear in her voice.

"Why the hell not!" Ulrich yelled after processing the revelation and his own memories, "What happened to us while we were unconscious!"

"Odd tried to send you to Lyoko in the same scanner." Aelita answered. "It didn't go well."

"What did that do to us." Yumi demanded. "When I arrived I was dazed and confused. My memories were distorted, damaged or missing." After a short pause she added "I remember being drugged so you two had better have a damn good explanation for this."

After hearing that Ulrich decided he needed to add something and held his sword to Aelita's neck, "So help me if anything happened or happens to Yumi because of this I'll put you through worse." He turned to Jeremy, "and when I'm done with her I'll start on you."

The unbridled rage and protectiveness startled everyone and Jeremy only barely stopped himself from blasting Ulrich with the energy fields that he didn't remember summoning but was now holding in both hands. Yumi put a restraining hand on Ulrich's shoulder "let them explain before you start making threats." Ulrich pulled his sword away from Aelita who stepped back, needlessly rubbing her neck. She looked at Jeremy and he nodded then bolted, grabbing Yumi and Ulrich's attention. As they followed him Aelita sang and Lyoko responded by trapping both Yumi and Ulrich behind a shimmering, pink barrier. As they tried to break free Jeremy started tapping on his interface, freezing Yumi and Ulrich in place. Aelita's song rang out again and the barrier dissolved.

Now with a captive audience Jeremy explained."Odd drugged you both and tried to virtualize you into one profile. He wanted to force you two to share each other's mind like Aelita and I did after our first fight. He put both of you into one scanner and found an old, obsolete virtualization program. He had to use it because after the incident with Kiwi we modified the normal virtualization program to detect multiple living beings in a single scanner and abort. Then, when Odd didn't find you alive on Lyoko he panicked and tried to run a return trip. He forgot the password and called me. Aelita and I just spent the last thirty seven hours separating you and restoring your profiles. I should tell you that we sped up the simulation rate, it's only been thirteen hours on earth."

"And why couldn't you just de-virtualize us?" Ulrich asked, his annoyed and angry tone still carrying an unspoken threat.

Jeremy sighed, "If we did that your bodies would be reassembled in the scanner and nothing more."

Aelita elaborated, "The reason you feel so bad when coming out of Lyoko is that the reassembly process is difficult and complex. First the computer calculates how to change the structure of your brain and brainwaves to store the new memories you create here. Then you're reassembled, atom by atom. The process is precise but tends to scramble all of the electrical activity in your body. That means no heartbeat among other things. Using a process we haven't quite figured out the scanners superimpose order, restoring normal electrical activity to your body after its been completely reassembled. It's not pleasant but it's better than being dead."

As soon as Aelita was finished Jeremy started, not letting Yumi or Ulrich get a word in edge wise. "How do you feel now? Do you remember anything about when you arrived? Or before?"

"I remember meeting Odd in the computer lab, he gave me a glass of pop and I started to feel funny then passed out. I came here, not knowing where I was, how I got here, or where here was. I saw you two charging at Yumi, who I didn't recognize at the time but felt I had to protect since she looked like she was ready for a fight. When I used my supersprint I blacked out and then came to sprawled on the floor, able to remember everything." Ulrich answered, beginning to calm down.

"Same story. I didn't recognize my surroundings or either of you. You rushed at me and I felt the need to defend myself. When I recalled how to use my fans something snapped, I felt disconnected for a moment and when I came back I could remember everything."

Jeremy turned to Aelita and spoke to her in low hushed tones for a few minutes and then turned back to Yumi and Ulrich. "Ok, we think the combination of the drugs we removed from your system combined with using calculations from the captured data messed up the initial mapping of your brains. When you accessed a powerful memory that coincided with a supercomputer function Lyoko was able to adjust for the inaccuracies. I think that..." Jeremy struggled a bit for the right word before continuing "process is what you felt. Now if you two will promise to behave and come with us to the tower we'll make some final scans and calculations then get you back to earth. OK?" Jeremy said with an almost casual authority.

"Yes," Ulrich replied. Yumi signaled her agreement by nodding.

Aelita nodded towards Jeremy, "go ahead and release them."

Jeremy tapped a few commands on his interface and unfroze his two friends. He was a little surprised and very relieved when they didn't attack and instead fell into step behind Jeremy and Aelita as they walked towards sector five's tower. "Jeremy, Aelita? Did either of you have anything to do with this?" Yumi asked, desperately hoping that the answer was no.

"No. Odd told us about the scheme, minus the drugs, and we thought we had talked him out of it." Aelita answered.

"We were also pretty certain there was no way for him to go ahead with it without our help." Jeremy added.

Aelita finished, sounding angry, "and if I thought for even a second that he'd try something like this I'd have locked him out of the lab."

"Um... What... would have happened... if Odd had run a return trip?" Yumi asked, sounding very nervous.

"We don't know. Odd deleted both your profiles so it's possible you would have returned alive, well and with no memory of what happened." Jeremy started.

"But it's equally possible that since you were essentially dead bodies in the supercomputer when Odd would have run the program, you would have stayed dead." Aelita added.

"And there's a third option, you would have remained in the computer, waiting for us to recover you." Jeremy finished.

Yumi and Ulrich looked at each other, "So Odd could have killed us?" Ulrich asked.

"I suppose, in a way, he already did." Jeremy replied solemnly as they arrived at the tower.

Aelita sang a few notes creating a bridge to make entering the structure easier. All four ascended to the tower's top level and Jeremy, with Aelita's help, worked on simulating Yumi and Ulrich's materialization. The simulation came back with a green plus sign, showing that it would be safe for all four to leave Lyoko. Before Jeremy could access the commands to send them back to earth Ulrich looked around nervously and said "I need to tell you guys something and I owe you all an apology." Ulrich directed his attention to the floor and continued: "Last night, Yumi and I fought over a report that I was supposed to do but didn't. After wandering around for a while sulking I went back to my room and was met by Sissy who claimed to have pictures of Jeremy and Aelita having sex."

That got a surprised gasp from the two geniuses. It wasn't so much the concept of them doing it that was disturbing, it was the idea of Sissy knowing and being able to hold it over their heads. Yumi, Ulrich and maybe William knowing they could probably handle but Sissy was another story, and so was the rest of the school body. It was another dimension that they might need to consider later. Yumi gave the couple a sideways glance that was laced with disapproval.

Ulrich continued on, not having noticed their reactions. "She said she would delete them if I went upstairs to her room to talk and give them to the principal if I didn't. What she actually had was Aelita asleep on Jeremy's shoulder while Jeremy was resting his head on top of hers. When she saw how depressed I was she immediately deleted the pictures and asked me what was wrong. She was so full of concern and it seemed sincere and I was so tired and upset." Ulrich's voice faltered and when he continued speaking it was broken. "I cried myself to sleep in her arms after telling her how I had failed you guys after all the effort you put into trying to keep me here."

Yumi didn't notice the shame in Ulrich's voice or posture. All she noticed was that he had chosen Sissy to go to for emotional support. With her worst fears confirmed she started walking towards the edge of the tower platform. Aelita broke away from Jeremy and went to Yumi, stopping her. Jeremy looked over to Ulrich and asked "why Sissy?"

"I... I didn't choose Sissy. She was just the one present when I broke." Ulrich stopped for a breath he didn't need then continued, raising his voice to be sure Yumi heard him. "And I'm sorry for that. It should never have happened, I should have been stronger than that. Afterwards, when I realized what I had done, I was so ashamed of myself and felt so guilty for dropping everything on Sissy's shoulders to bear... I hoped I could erase it. I thought I could find it in myself to be the man you deserve Yumi, and to be the strong warrior all of you expect. But I couldn't, I'm just not good enough. My... My father's right about me. I'm nothing, just a burden on everyone around me." Ulrich turned away from the group and began walking towards the edge opposite of Yumi. Jeremy stopped him with a grip in his shoulder.

Aelita was moved to tears that she couldn't shed and turned to face Ulrich. She was about to say something when Yumi spoke, her voice full of sorrow. "You could have told me Ulrich, all those times I asked how you were doing. I know you well enough to know you were lying to me when you said you were fine."

"No I couldn't." Ulrich shot back as if defending himself from an accusation. He didn't turn around, feeling unworthy of facing Yumi. "You said yourself how much work you were doing just to help me. How was I supposed to ask for more? What would you have thought of me, crying on your shoulder like some little baby? How could you ever love someone so weak, how could anyone love a failure like me."

Aelita was shocked that Ulrich could feel as poorly about himself as Jeremy once did. Based on this conversation Ulrich rather desperately needed help, help that she hoped he was ready to receive. She had helped Jeremy and while she couldn't offer that same level of support and comfort to Ulrich, she had to do something. "Ulrich, we know you're not a failure and we know you're not weak." Aelita's gentle, reassuring voice broke into the conversation. "We know because we've all seen you fight for us. We've all relied on your determination and strength to achieve our victory over XANA. And now we're all willing to work just as hard for you as you did for us. And we do love you, flaws and all. Yumi won't think less of you for leaning on her for emotional support when you need it, in fact she would prefer that to watching you suffer." That caught Ulrich's attention and he turned to face Aelita, directing a questioning look at her. She added "I know from my own experience with Jeremy."

Ulrich looked around the tower, now thoroughly confused. As his eyes scanned past Jeremy the young man nodded, confirming Aelita's statement. After completing a sweep of the room he settled his gaze on the large circle at the center of the tower and tried to comprehend what he had been told. It was totally at odds with what little he had been taught about relationships by his father. But it made a certain amount of sense. Crying into Sissy's shoulder had felt very good and it had produced a closeness that he was glad she couldn't remember. He looked up and at Yumi's back, having come to a decision. He wanted to feel that way with Yumi and if it meant baring his soul to her then so be it. He had taken the first steps already. He decided to finish explaining then ask her for another try. He refused to consider that she would say no.

"There's a little more to what happened between me and Sissy that I need to share. This morning she snuck down to my room and wanted to sleep with me. I told her no and she tried to get back to her room but couldn't make it undetected. I still didn't let her sleep with me and since Kiwi wouldn't share Odd's bed she slept in a sleeping bag on the floor. In the morning she tried to kiss me. I didn't kiss back, I told her that I still had hopes of being with you, Yumi." Ulrich paused then continued when he didn't get a reaction out of Yumi. "After that she pulled up her shirt a little and placed my hand on her belly. It felt... amazing. But as the initial shock faded there seemed to be something missing. I don't know... I can't describe it any better than that. I think... I think that whatever was missing, I'd find it with you."

Ulrich took a short pause then continued, sounding contrite and a little ashamed. "I didn't understand how relationships were supposed to work, I thought I had to be strong and hold everything in, I thought if I showed you any weakness, any sign that I wasn't the perfect man you'd run and never look back. I didn't realize how much it was hurting you. I promise I'll do better this time, Just one more chance." Now he was begging "Please."

Yumi turned to face Ulrich, her face practically radiating uncertainty. He had finally given her what she needed, but was it too little too late? It had taken a near death experience to rattle him enough to talk to her like this and she wasn't sure how many more of those she could take. She had her own limits and if she wasn't there yet she was far too close for comfort. If he couldn't live up to his promise she wasn't sure she would be able to handle the heartbreak.

But on the other hand it wasn't his fault that his father had so badly screwed him up. If he now truly understood then they could start again and they could make this work. What Aelita had said was on target, she did still love him and didn't want to see him waste away. Ideally she would tell him the same thing she told William earlier, that she needed time to regain her strength before starting over. But she wasn't sure if Ulrich would or even could accept that answer. She wasn't the only one nearing their limit for emotional stress.

Yumi looked into Ulrich's eyes and spoke firmly "Ulrich, I want to believe you. I want to love you, have you love me but I've got so little left to give. I need more than words spoken in the turmoil of a near death experience."

Ulrich met her gaze. "I understand." Ulrich replied sadly. He turned to Jeremy, "can you recreate what happened between you and Aelita? What Odd tried to force on Yumi and I."

"Absolutely not!" Aelita yelled. "You would both be open books, there would be no way for either of you to filter or break the connection."

"Can it be one way? Can you give Yumi access to my mind without giving me access to hers?" Ulrich asked forcing himself to use a calm tone.

Jeremy looked thoughtful, clearly considering Ulrich's request. Aelita was about to scold him when Yumi asked "What do mean open book?" The look on her face suggesting she was actually considering this.

Jeremy answered before Aelita could get over her shock. "She means exactly that. Anything you wanted to look at in Ulrich's mind you would get. Every memory, every emotion, every thought would be there for you to see if you ask. The thing is, Ulrich would be powerless to refuse. When Aelita and I were joined it was impossible to avoid picking up on each other's feelings and we shared a few scattered memories as we tried to exchange ideas to get me out of the digital void. But I stayed out of her mind and she stayed out of mine though I admit it was extremely difficult to resist. Of course Aelita had an advantage, she could cut the connection if she wanted to. I, on the other hand was totally at her mercy, anything she wanted out of my mind she could have taken and there was nothing I could do about it."

Aelita nodded in agreement and added, "It was just as difficult for me to avoid stealing some of your memories Jeremy." Addressing both Yumi and Ulrich she said: "But I did and I'm glad because I've learned that there are memories and thoughts that should remain private, things that are best left alone. And I think it's best that you learn about each other the normal way."

Ulrich looked to Aelita, "You heard what Yumi said, I don't have that option." He sounded angry and Aelita, having a flash of earlier, created two energy fields to defend herself with. Ulrich continued without noticing. "She can have everything, whatever she wants from my head. I want Yumi to understand how I see her, how much I love her and that I now understand how to make this work. That I mean it when I say I'll let her help me in the future."

Yumi threw an apologetic look to Aelita then turned her attention to Jeremy, "Can you do it, let me have access to Ulrich's mind without giving him access to mine?"

Aelita glared at Jeremy, silently telling him not to accept. Ulrich threw a pleading look at Jeremy, almost begging him to accept. Yumi looked passively at Jeremy, seeming to be undecided. Addressing Yumi he asked, "Is it fair, you having total access to Ulrich's mind while you remain completely closed off?"

"You can't be considering this Jeremy, it's rape!" Aelita yelled.

"Aelita," Jeremy started off calmly, "If we've learned anything it's that our little group can do the impossible with only the desire to get it done. I agree with you, it's stupid and absurdly dangerous for both Yumi and Ulrich but it's safer if you and I are involved than if we're not."

Aelita watched Jeremy as he spoke and realized that he had no intention of allowing this to happen, he had a plan in mind and she wasn't helping. That short circuited her temper and allowed her trust in Jeremy to assert itself. Changing her position and responding gently she addressed Yumi saying, "this isn't the way to solve your relationship problems but Jeremy's right, if both of you want this then we can make it happen." Now that she had played into whatever Jeremy had planned, she desperately hoped it would work. She noted Jeremy's quick look of appreciation.

"Aelita's right, it will probably create more problems than it solves. Do you honestly think that knowing his every thought about you will make your relationship better? Are you ready to see his inventory of Sissy's good qualities? Do you really want to see Ulrich's fantasies?" Jeremy challenged.

"No! All I'll look at are his future intentions." Yumi said in her defense.

"And the next time you have doubts?" Aelita pressed. "Will you believe what he tells you or will demand to be scanned into Lyoko so that you can see for yourself?"

"And what about Ulrich's needs. When William propositions you, and I'm sure he will, will you allow yourself to be subjected to this procedure to satisfy Ulrich's jealousy?" Jeremy demanded.

Yumi looked down at the floor, suddenly unsure of herself. She didn't see the smile that Jeremy flashed to Aelita. She did notice that when Aelita spoke, she sounded wise far beyond her years. "I know the two of you are tempted and I realize this seems like such an easy solution but it's not. This procedure won't solve any of your problems. Ulrich, it may seem like you're not giving up anything but you are, things you came up with in anger or frustration would be laid bare for Yumi to see. How long would it take you to justify every unpleasant thought?" Ulrich's face fell as he considered what has been hiding in his mind. Thoughts of Yumi, how he sometimes saw the rest of his friends, they weren't always flattering.

"And Yumi," Aelita continued uninterrupted. "It's easy to say you'll limit yourself but you can't. I know you wouldn't go fishing through Ulrich's mind but the computer would do that for you. Memories are associative and you can easily get a string that leads to something you didn't directly ask for but can't avoid receiving."

"Aelita, how old are you?" Yumi asked suddenly, surprising Aelita. Without waiting for an answer she continued "You sound too wise for a fourteen year old girl. Your points are well taken but I need to know Ulrich's intentions, I can't handle this cycle anymore." Now pleading with the younger girl Yumi asked "will you help or not?"

Aelita, though scared over what her two friends seemed intent on doing, managed to hold onto her faith in Jeremy and answered yes.

"Then do it. How long will it take?"

Jeremy motioned Aelita over and whispered "trust me." He turned to Yumi, "Aelita and I need to use the terminal in the celestial dome, you two need to be in the tower so that we can alter your profiles when we're done. Give us an hour, we'll signal you when we're ready."

Ulrich looked to Jeremy then to Aelita, "thanks, you have no idea how much this means to me."

Jeremy and Aelita left the tower, walking a short distance apart and not holding hands. Yumi watched them go and realized that she and Ulrich were the cause of their current rift. She knew Aelita really did not want them to go through with this and figured that Jeremy was somehow making her. The thought didn't sit well with her, she had no right to demand this at the expense of Jeremy and Aelita's happiness. Another thought crossed her mind, Jeremy didn't want them to go through with this either, he only was because he feared that they would try on their own like Odd did.

She stole a glance at Ulrich who was now sitting at the platform's edge with his feet hanging over the side. The more she thought about it, the more certain she was that she wouldn't want Ulrich, or anyone else, to go rummaging through her head. Although Aelita's comment about unpleasant thoughts was directed at Ulrich she had a few that she would rather keep to herself as well. And did she really have the right to demand from Ulrich what she wouldn't give in return? Isn't that how they ended up here to begin with?

Ulrich stared down into the abyss that was 'below' the tower's lower platform. He had made his choice and made the offer. However scared he was that this would turn out badly, as Aelita and Jeremy seemed certain it would, he would stick to this path. But the more he thought about it the less appealing and romantic it seemed. He began hoping that Yumi would let him off the hook but steeled himself in case she didn't.

Jeremy walked beside a clearly steamed Aelita and said nothing the entire way to the dome, the silence and distance between them actually causing him pain. When they got to the dome Jeremy simply stood there and stared out into the ever changing sea of data. Growing impatient Aelita made a hand gesture to summon the terminal and turned towards Jeremy, her voice overflowing with impatience and irritation "you planning to write this program or do you expect me to do it?"

"Actually I was planning to sit here and stare out into virtual space with my clearly ticked off girlfriend." He turned to face Aelita and spoke more softly, "I have no intention of allowing them to go through with this. I hope they'll come to their senses before we have to do anything but if not we toss them out of Lyoko, go back as specters and escort them out of the lab then change the codes and hope they eventually forgive us."

Aelita's face softened, "I should have known." She walked up to Jeremy and wrapped her arms around his waist, "you couldn't have warned me?"

"I'm sorry, but it looked more real this way. So how long do you think it'll be before they decide to give up this crazy idea?"

"Much too long." Aelita said, regretting being unable to feel the hug she had Jeremy in. Said boy nodded in agreement for the same reason.

--

It took twenty minutes but Yumi finally approached Ulrich and tapped on his shoulder. She watched as he looked up over his shoulder to acknowledge her then pull himself up to stand and face her. "Are they ready?"

"No, are you?"

"Yes" Ulrich answered, putting much more confidence into his answer than he felt.

"Having second thoughts?"

Ulrich considered lying but that didn't seem like the correct course of action right now. "Yes... It's not that I don't trust"

Yumi shushed him. "If not that then why?"

Ulrich was a little surprised, there was no malice in the question, it was just that: a question. He answered honestly. "I have thoughts, memories that I'd rather you didn't see. Some about you, some about our friends. Some are memories that I'd like to forget."

"Tell me something that you'd rather I didn't know." Yumi said softly.

Ulrich looked into her eyes as he considered her request.

Speaking slowly he began, "My first report card with actual grades, I didn't get straight As. After that I was an embarrassment or not working hard enough. The only time I wasn't was when it mattered that my dad showed off a happy family that... that he... was."

Yumi, thinking she had the picture stopped him, her voice overflowing with compassion, "Let's get out of here, back to earth."

"I'll finish this first if you want." Ulrich said, his voice almost broken and sounding relieved to get the break.

"Jeremy, Aelita? Can you hear us?" Yumi called out towards the tower's ceiling.

"We're here. The program." Jeremy responded but was cut off by Yumi.

"Can you de-virtualize us? I know what I need to."

"Yeah sure. Jeremy and I are going to go first so we can be there when you come out. See you in... say ten minutes" Aelita called out. She pulled away from Jeremy and tapped at the interface, causing both her and Jeremy to dissolve. They came out of the scanners feeling very sick and suffering from a severe headache which got worse as they tried to move their unfamiliar, physical bodies. They crawled out of the scanners and towards each other, meeting in the middle and picking themselves up off the floor, each using the other for support. They made the trip to the elevator and then to the terminal and had to rest. Fifteen minutes later they were both back in the scanner room, waiting for Yumi and Ulrich to materialize. The worst of their problems had past but the headache and tiredness persisted.

Yumi and Ulrich crawled out of the scanner tubes and were helped unto their feet by Aelita and Jeremy who then helped them make their way over to each other. As soon as they were close enough they collapsed into each other's arms and held on to stay standing. Jeremy and Aelita assured themselves that their two friends were ok then made a not so discreet exit via the elevator. Ulrich, now alone with Yumi, continued his story. "My father actually had to pretend he was proud of me," Ulrich said as if the words were poison. "To my father the only measure of success is what you can show off to everyone else. I remember 6th grade, it was the end of the school year and my grades were all low Bs and a few Cs." Yumi listened intently, tightening her hold on him as he continued.

"There was a party and rather than let me mingle with the guests and their kids where I could possibly mess up and admit to such a failure he locked me in a spare room and told everyone that I was on a trip with my grandparents. After the party he told me he would find a school that was fitting for his family legacy but far enough away that nobody would know when I failed out."

"Ulrich," Yumi asked gently "why line up a job for you if he thinks so little about you?" She had recalled the phone conversation that had, in a way, started this whole situation and was curious.

"Because that's what's expected of him. He can't be the big shot he is if his son doesn't have a great job lined up." Suspecting that Yumi still didn't understand the situation fully he told her one more thing, "when I failed my first test here, he told me he hoped I had an accident and died so that he wouldn't have to face the embarrassment of me not being able to take the job he had lined up." By now he was crying on Yumi's shoulder and struggling to finish. He could feel Yumi stroking his back and supporting more of his weight.

"It's ok Ulrich, I won't ever think that way about you, neither will the rest of the gang." Yumi soothed. She had no idea what else to say, her own parents were strict but didn't actually hate her or her brother. She just continued to hold him, waiting until he regained his composure to even consider moving.

Jeremy and Aelita used the security cameras to steal an occasional glance at their two friends, just to assure themselves that Yumi and Ulrich were really ok after their botched virtualization. The what little remained of their attention was directed to a review of the resources used by speeding up the Lyoko world clock. Doing that had definitely screwed something up but neither she nor Jeremy were making any headway into how to fix it. Their headaches and very slow, muddled thinking weren't helping matters so they turned their collective attention to setting up a return trip and determining just how far back they could go.

When Yumi came up her face immediately became a mask of concern. "Are you two ok," she asked "you look like the living dead."

"No." Aelita replied. "We spent over thirty seven hours on Lyoko and I don't think we should ever do that again."

"I couldn't agree more. When the return to the past ends, Ulrich and I will call you to let you know we're ok. Then you two are going straight to bed" Yumi ordered.

"Agreed" Jeremy and Aelita replied in unison.

"Seven o'clock Saturday sound ok," Jeremy asked.

"Fine, just remember you two go straight to bed." Yumi answered.

Aelita hit the button and everything went white.


	10. Consequences

Thank you to Sexylyokofan for naming Ulrich's parents: Henrich and Anna Stern

--

**Kadic Academy, Principal's office, Sunday 2:30 AM:** Principal Delmas and Yumi's parents marched back into his office after fruitlessly searching the science building for the four missing children. As odd took a seat in the middle of the office he faced a very upset Mr. Delmas. "IS THIS YOUR IDEA OF A JOKE" he bellowed.

"No sir." Odd offered weakly. Inwardly he really wished this were all a joke. Unfortunately it wasn't and what he was putting everyone through was now weighing heavily on his conscience. He started out with the best of intentions but it was looking like he had delivered the worst of results. The only bright side was that after a return to the past nobody would remember this whole ordeal.

Mr. Ishiyama balled his fist and pounded on the principals desk, "where is my daughter," he yelled. Odd winced at the sound and tone of his voice, the combination of anger and worry cutting deep into his mind.

"Pease, Odd. Just tell me where my daughter is." Mrs. Ishiyama pleaded. Odd looked over to her, wondering how to answer. He briefly wondered how answering with _Mr., Mrs. Ishiyama, I drugged your daughter and Ulrich then put them into a scanner in order to transfer them to a virtual reality called Lyoko so that I could combine their minds and make them realize that they love each other. Thing is, I didn't really know what I was doing and screwed it up. Now Jeremy and Aelita are there, working as hard as they possibly can to undo what I did in order to save your children._ Would go over. He decided not very well and instead answered with "I don't know."

"How can you not know, the five of you have been inseparable for the past two years." Jim roared. "If they're in trouble then you have to tell us so we can help."

Odd looked up at Jim, crushed expression on his face. "I just can't, I'm sorry."

Principal Delmas heaved a resigned sigh and picked up the phone on his desk. He dialed and spoke then looked up to the room, "The police will send a car around shortly. Hopefully they can be of some assistance." He looked to Odd, "I'm calling your parents to secure their permission to have the police question you."

A few minutes later Odd heard something he had always longed for, his parent's disappointment. He recalled a saying, be careful what you wish for as you just might get it. His parents were now pleading with him to tell the staff what happened, sounding severely disappointed that he wasn't interested in helping his friends. Odd could finally take no more and fell to the floor, curling into a ball and sobbing. He kept repeating, "it's all my fault" over and over.

A little while later, Yumi's terrified parents watched as Odd was sedated by paramedics and strapped to a gurney for transport to the local hospital. Principal Delmas made calls to Jeremy and Ulrich's parents to inform them that their children were missing and that the police were going to search their rooms. Searches of Jeremy and Aelita's rooms revealed computers with heavily encrypted volumes that were taken away for analysis. William had been interrogated but didn't give up any information on the whereabouts of the missing teens. The detectives next began to try and retrace the kids last steps in the hopes of finding any sort of lead. Sunrise shed no light on the disappearances.

It hardly mattered as shortly after ten O'clock a white dome spread over the planet, rendering hours of police work and parental worry mute. Odd was too heavily sedated to notice the temporal wave pass over his body. When he regained consciousness he found himself at the factory, everything ready for what turned out to be the worst mistake of his life. He hoped that Ulrich and Yumi had made it. He tried to log into the supercomputer and found his password rejected. He left the lab, hoping that everything was fine, fearing that it wasn't. It was the longest, most painful walk back he had ever experienced and he figured that whatever happened it was only the beginning.

--

**Kadic Academy, Ulrich and Odd's room, Saturday 8:30 PM: **Odd paused at the door, wondering what he would find. He spent the entire walk back feeling sorry for himself and letting his mind roam its darkest corners. When he got to campus he found himself unable to just go to his room and see if Ulrich was there. So instead he wondered around campus, trying to listen for news that Ulrich had collapsed or disappeared. But eventually he couldn't take the suspense and made his way to the dorms, to his room. Now he was here, about to find out the consequences of his actions. He entered the room and saw Ulrich alive and well, talking on the phone. He was overcome with joy that he actually hadn't killed his best friend and rushed forward engulfing Ulrich in a hug. He looked up at Ulrich, "is Yumi ok?" He asked hopefully.

"Yes, no thanks to you." Ulrich spat back, words full of venom. He pulled Odd's arms off his body and shoved him away. "Yumi, I've got something to take care of here. Can I call you back?"

"Yeah, sure." Yumi said as she hung up. Ulrich didn't tell her what he had to do and now she worried about what had come up. For all she knew it could be nothing. Maybe Ulrich found Odd and was beating some sense into him. But it could also be related to Jeremy and Aelita who really looked terrible after coming out of Lyoko. If there was one thing she could still trust it was that right now Jeremy and Aelita would tell her they were fine no matter what their true condition. She decided to personally make sure that they would be fine, grabbed her school bag and put some books into it then headed downstairs. She asked her parents for permission to spend the night with Aelita so she could study. With a permission slip in hand she headed for school.

Odd looked up at Ulrich and saw rage, hatred and maybe a little gratitude mixed in. "Ulrich, I'm so sorry, I."

"Shut it." Ulrich yelled. "Do you ever think of anyone but yourself? Do you even think at all? Where the hell did such a stupid idea come from anyway?"

"Ulrich, I just thought you needed a little push towards Yumi. I only wanted."

"And that's the fucking problem with you. It's always about you. It's always what you want!"

"I wanted to see my best friend happy and if Jerm."

Ulrich hauled off and punched Odd in the gut, causing the purple clad teen to double over in pain and cough as he struggled to breathe. "If Jeremy what? You don't know what he and Aelita went through to rescue us. Don't you dare hang this on them."

"Jeremy and Aelita didn't want to help put you and Yumi back together. I had to do something, I couldn't just let you break up with your true love." Odd wheezed out.

"No, you thought it would be better to show her everything, every embarrassing memory, every dirty thought, every insulting one. How would that have helped me?" Ulrich demanded loudly.

"I'm sorry." Odd replied sincerely. "I didn't think..."

"No! you didn't think" Ulrich shouted, cutting him off. "You never think, you just do, you enjoy yourself then let everyone else clean up the mess."

"Hey, I had to get interrogated when you guys were reported missing. I had to stall by leading everyone on a wild goose chase while you were gone. It." Odd was forced to stop as Ulrich punched him in the stomach again. He doubled over and this time fell onto the floor, gasping for air.

"You deserved it. You deserved that and more for what you did to Yumi. Now I want you gone, out of Yumi's life, out of my life, out of everybody's life!"

Odd looked up to see Ulrich's face contorted into a mask of anger and hate. His eyes were sunken and narrow, the chocolate irises radiating a bone chilling coldness. Ulrich's jaw was set into a menacing scowl that left no doubt of his intentions. His hands were balled up into tight fists and he was in a fighting stance that would have sacred a XANA specter. He decided there was no point in arguing further. "If you're with Yumi now," Odd struggled to say. "That's all that matters. As long as you're happy then what happens to me doesn't matter," Odd said as he left the room.

Ulrich's anger faded with that comment. He recalled being wrapped in Yumi's arms and he had never felt better. And even though it wasn't pleasant, telling Yumi everything had been a wonderful release. For the first time in the past week he had real hope and it was all because of Odd's actions. Now that he thought about it, even Jeremy had made some very questionable choices during the fight with XANA. Everyone had been able to forgive him, did Odd deserve the same?

Odd walked down the hall, stifling his tears as he tried to find someplace to spend the night. He stopped at Jeremy's room and knocked on the door. When no one answered he knocked more loudly. After a few more minutes he door opened a crack and then quickly shut in his face. He heard the sound of the lock and tried to talk to Jeremy through the door. "Jeremy, open up. I just need some place to stay tonight. Ulrich's pissed."

"Good. Now go away." Jeremy yelled at the door.

Odd walked away wondering where he could go next. He wondered if he could fake something severe enough to convince the school's nurse to let him stay in the infirmary again. He began walking in that direction, racking his brain for an idea.

--

Yumi arrived at school and went upstairs to Aelita's room but found it locked and, presumably, empty since even knocking loudly got no response. She went downstairs and knocked on Jeremy's door only to hear "Odd go away," yelled through it.

"It's Yumi," she shouted back. "I wanted some help on an assignment," she quickly added for the benefit of a passerby.

Jeremy opened his door and Yumi pushed her way into the darkened room and quickly shut the door behind her. She flipped on the light and watched as both Jeremy and Aelita reacted to the sudden brightness. Once they had recovered Yumi gave an apology to both teens and then told them what her plan was. Aelita looked up to Yumi, "so I can't stay here tonight then?" The disappointment was unmistakable.

Yumi shook her head, "no. But look at the bright side, you won't get caught together either. Imagine what would have happened if Jeremy had just told Jim to go away without answering the door." With a disapproving glare split between both of her friends she added harshly, "And I don't like the idea of you two sleeping together."

Neither Aelita nor Jeremy had the heart or energy to argue right now so they kissed each other good night then parted company. After watching the girls go Jeremy gathered his kit and went to the washroom. When he came back to his room he changed into his pajamas then got into the empty bed. It was impossible to not notice just how much larger and emptier the bed felt without Aelita to share it. He pulled the blankets tightly against him, missing Aelita's warmth and the feel of her body against his. After forcing himself to not dwell on it he managed to fade back into sleep.

Aelita unlocked the door to her room then went to wash up. She came back and handed Yumi the room key then watched as Yumi left, presumably going downstairs to see Ulrich. Aelita locked the door behind Yumi, changed and crawled into the empty bed. She already missed sleeping in Jeremy's arms, missed his warmth and the tenderness of his embrace.

--

Yumi knocked on Ulrich's door and was surprised to be told to go away until she remembered that Odd shared the room. The mere thought of Odd made her blood boil, after all he had done to his supposed friends he deserved a painful, lingering death and decided that she should be the one to give it to him. She pounded on the door in her anger. Two students looked curiously at Yumi and then scurried away as she turned a murderous glare on them. "Ulrich, it's Yumi so open this door."

Ulrich opened the door and apologized to Yumi who cut him off with a curt "It's ok," before walking into his room. She made certain that the door was left partly open and, glaring at Ulrich, demanded to know where Odd was. Ulrich answered in what he hoped was a soothing voice. "I don't know. He came by earlier and I told him to leave and not come back."

"That's all you did" she exclaimed. "You should have kept him here, I'd have loved to give him some badly broken bones before I killed him."

Ulrich almost stumbled back under the combination of Yumi's angry glare and voice. He answered her question in a soft, calm voice still hoping to soothe her. "Yumi, calm down. Odd isn't here and beating him to a pulp won't undo what he did."

"You're defending him!" Yumi shot back. "He drugged me, and you stand there defending him!" She spun around and marched towards the door.

Ulrich grabbed Yumi's shoulder, "NO! Well yes but... I mean."

Yumi turned back to face Ulrich. "Spit it out Ulrich," She demanded in a harsh tone. "It's him or me." She crossed her arms and glowered at him, waiting for a response.

"You." Ulrich answered back immediately, hearing some of his own anger at being yelled at in his voice. Forcing a calmer tone he continued "Odd said he didn't care what happened to himself as long as you and I were happy." Yumi's expression softened after hearing that and Ulrich decided not to press his luck. He waved toward the bed and watched her sit down on it. He sat down next to her and waited silently while she calmed down. When she no longer looked like a raging storm Ulrich spoke to her, asking why she had come.

"I was worried about our two geniuses, I've never seen them affected that badly by Lyoko. I'm staying over tonight to make sure they're ok."

Ulrich smiled appreciatively, "They're lucky to have a friend like you."

"Thank you. Now I've got to go check on Jeremy then head upstairs to change. Night Ulrich."

Ulrich looked up at Yumi as she got up. He felt the heat on his face and was certain he looked as red as a tomato as he considered a more serious response. "Night Yumi... Love you."

Yumi turned abruptly, her own face scarlet. She regarded Ulrich for a few seconds then replied "Love you too" before leaving.

--

**Kadic Academy, Sissy's room, Saturday 10:00 PM:** Sissy's eyes swept her empty room, catching her reflection in the vanity that occupied a large portion of her wall. She looked herself over wondering what was going on. This morning had been a disaster and afterwards both she and Ulrich simply avoided each other as much as possible. The few times they did see one another were filled with exchanged awkward looks and regretful expressions. The looks hadn't gone unnoticed and even started a few rumors though none had made it to her father. But none of that was important, not with the turmoil her morning had created. She looked into the mirror, wondering about the person staring back at her.

That person was a pretty, young teenager who didn't mind flaunting her body. She was among the social elite, always surrounded by girls who took her seriously. She had power and influence, being the principals daughter. She could use the schools rumor mill to elevate or to humiliate with impunity. But what did she have to show for it?

Ulrich had rejected every one of her advances. He had even rejected her inadvertent promise of sex, choosing to pursue Yumi even though he was fighting with her. She knew boys weren't supposed to reject any opportunity for sex and it made her wonder what Ulrich saw when he looked at her. She was pretty, she wasn't shy about it and she kept up with the latest fashions. Yumi always wore the same boring black outfit and her powerful physique was more intimidating than inviting. How he could find Yumi more attractive than herself was a mystery. Another one was why he stuck by the nobodies he called friends when she could make him the king of the school.

But then there had always been something different about Ulrich's group of friends. Aelita had shown up and before proving she had anything to offer they accepted her into their circle. Jeremy, the schools lowest nerd, was treated with respect and even affection. Yumi wasn't made to feel uncomfortable because she didn't conform to the school's norms. Odd, the screw-up goofball who always got them into trouble, was always forgiven and welcomed back time and again. None of them cared the slightest bit about popularity or power, they even stuck up for the younger students and helped out around campus. The whole group made no sense yet they always seemed happy.

And with that realization her reflection seemed to stare deeply into her soul. It dared her to say that she was jealous because she knew that Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, Jeremy and Aelita didn't feel alone when they were together. It demanded that she admit to punishing their group because hers didn't bring the happiness she saw in them. She turned away from the mirror and turned off the lights then headed to bed. She began to cry as her mind continued to tear at itself. She was alone, unlike Aelita there was no one she would trust to call and come running to comfort her. The thought made her cry harder and eventually she cried herself to sleep.

--

**Kadic Academy, William's room, Saturday 10:00 PM:** William lay in bed reflecting on the latest development. A consequence of having a profile in the supercomputer he remembered being woke up in the middle of the night and questioned about the disappearance of his four friends were. He had figured that since Odd was accounted for it probably wasn't a XANA attack. He proclaimed his ignorance and was eventually let go. Then the return trip happened and he called Jeremy who explained what had happened.

The news that Yumi and Ulrich were, once again, a couple hit him like a blow to the chest. She had told him that she needed her space when he asked her out after the breakup. Like an idiot he had given it to her, telling her that he would back down and wait for her to recover. He knew it was a stupid move but he also knew his chances were slim to start with. She had told him that after all she and Ulrich had been through their bond wasn't going to break easily.

The problem was he didn't really want to give up. He had tried that once and Ulrich hadn't used the opportunity he had and it left Yumi miserable. Ulrich was, to put it simply, not good enough for Yumi. Yumi deserved to be loved by someone who would love her back without hesitation or regret and Ulrich simply couldn't do that. But how he could show her that was a question that didn't seem to have an answer.

--

**Kadic Academy, Aelita's room, Sunday 9:30 AM:** Yumi watched as Aelita woke up and seemed to quickly search her bed before sighing softly and rolling over to look into her room. She saw Yumi and wished her a good morning then asked how Jeremy was the last time she checked.

"He seemed fine last I checked." Yumi replied with a smile, finding that Aelita's first concern was Jeremy to be rather cute. "You both developed a fever overnight. It broke at around the same time for both of you. How do you feel?" Yumi didn't conceal the concern she felt for her friend.

"A fever?" Aelita said concerned. "Do you know how high?" Aelita paused slightly and then answered Yumi's question with "I feel pretty good, though I had." She took a quick glance at her clock. "Over twelve hours of sleep."

"I don't. It wasn't very high at least to my hand. Any Idea why you would develop a fever?"

"No." Aelita's expression turned thoughtful and after a short pause she continued "If you wanted a guess, I'd say that altering Lyoko's time base, combined with the amount of time spent in the simulation affected the way our memories were integrated into our brains. For what it's worth, unless Jeremy and I figure out what is going on we won't be attempting to mess with Lyoko's time base anymore. I think we'll also avoid staying on Lyoko for that length of time as well."

"Good." Yumi said sounding just a little like a pleased parent. "Now about you and Jeremy sleeping together." Yumi's disapproval showed plainly in her voice.

Aelita sat up in bed but still had to look upwards to meet the older, taller girls eyes. "What about it? We spent the last two nights together. We made out yesterday morning but that's as far as we've gone." Her reply was delivered in a low voice but without any hint that she thought she had done anything wrong.

Yumi looked into the green eyes of the girl she considered her sister. Those green eyes held a certainty and level of trust in Jeremy that Yumi was incapable of matching for anyone at the moment. She would have trusted Odd with her life, had on more than one occasion. But Odd had betrayed her and the group, taking advantage of all the trust he'd earned to try and force her into intimate contact with Ulrich and nearly killing her in the process. Much more harshly than was warranted Yumi replied "you're showing Jeremy an awful lot of trust by sleeping with him, are you sure you're ready for what could happen because of it."

Holding unto her calm voice Aelita asked "is this about me and Jeremy or about Odd?"

"I trusted Odd, would have trusted him with my life and he lures me to the factory, drugs me and then nearly kills me. How can you be so sure about Jeremy?" Yumi demanded.

"Jeremy wouldn't take advantage of me." Aelita shot back, bristling at the thought. She forced herself to calm down and continued more softly. "I can't explain Odd's behavior. I can only assume he, like usual, didn't consider the consequences before acting. But let me ask: you've known Jeremy longer than any of us, do you really think he would take advantage of me?"

"And that excuses his behavior?" Yumi shot back angrily, ignoring the remainder of Aelita's question. "How can you defend what he did to me?"

"No, it doesn't. And I can't." Aelita said, maintaining her measured tone. "But it does offer an explanation. He thought he could get you and Ulrich back together as a couple. All other consequences were irrelevant in pursuit of that goal. He simply didn't think about what drugging you would do or what you would associate with it."

Aelita got out of bed and put her hand on Yumi's shoulder, looking into the taller girls eyes she said: "My father did essentially the same thing to me, using my blind faith in him to place me in the supercomputer. He thought he was doing the right thing but it nearly resulted in the end of the world. But out of it all I got the best friends I could ever have and Jeremy, who's so much more. I've managed to forgive my father for what he did to me and I think you'll eventually forgive Odd as well, but I know from experience that it won't be easy. And Yumi, like me you are getting something out of this ordeal. You and Ulrich took the first real step towards making your relationship work because of it. Focus on that if you need to and don't forget that both Jeremy and I will always be here for you if you need to talk." Aelita slowly pulled her hand away from Yumi's shoulder and turned to gather her shower kit. She laid an extra set of towels out for Yumi then headed for the showers, leaving the older girl to consider her words.

Yumi remained in the room and forced herself to calm down. As calm returned she reflected on the conversation and realized two things. First, Aelita again sounded wise far beyond her years. Second, she left one of Aelita's questions unanswered. She did know the answer though, it was that Jeremy would sooner die than take advantage of Aelita or anyone else for that matter.

Odd though was a different story. Aelita was right, Odd probably didn't intend to induce all the fear, pain, anguish and distrust that he had. But she wasn't so sure that she could forgive him. Luring a girl somewhere and drugging her to get what he wanted, no matter what the intention, couldn't be tolerated. The thought brought fresh rage flooding into her system and she ignored the towels Aelita had set out, changed and headed for the gym. It wouldn't be as satisfying as beating Odd but she needed to do something.

--

**Kadic Academy, Jeremy's room, Sunday 11:00 AM:** A freshly showered Yumi walked in after knocking and found Jeremy and Aelita trying to help Ulrich with something on the computer, she assumed it was his report but she had something more important than finding out to do right now. "Good morning Ulrich, Jeremy," she greeted. Turning to Aelita she asked "hey Aelita, can I talk to you for a minute in your room?"

"Um, sure." Aelita replied uncertainly as she got up from the bed. She walked over to Jeremy and kissed his cheek. "Remember this is Ulrich's report you can't do it for him," she quipped lightly.

Jeremy smiled up at her, "but it'd go so much faster."

Ulrich turned in his chair to face Yumi, "Good morning. I... uh." He stopped as his face started to turn crimson. He continued after Jeremy nudged him, "I was looking forward to seeing you this morning, I was a little disappointed when you didn't come down."

"I'm sorry. This morning I got reminded of Odd and just needed to punch something. I didn't want to take it out on you." Yumi replied, wishing Ulrich hadn't said anything.

"Oh. Uh ok" Ulrich replied, not knowing what else to say.

Jeremy broke the awkward silence after a few seconds by saying, "maybe we can all go off campus for lunch, get out and just relax for a few hours."

"Yeah maybe." Ulrich responded, "if we can get this work done."

--

**Kadic Academy, Aelita's room, Sunday 11:05 AM:** Yumi shut the door behind her and walked to Aelita's desk, taking a seat on her computer chair. Aelita sat down on the bed and faced Yumi. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"First, I owe you an apology, I do know Jeremy well enough to know that he wouldn't treat you with anything less than the respect you deserve. I was surprised to hear that you and Jeremy were sleeping together and... I guess I overreacted."

Aelita smiled kindly at Yumi as she accepted her apology. "That's ok, considering... I know you didn't mean anything by it."

"Thanks." Yumi paused then decided to add her opinion. "Aelita? It's only my opinion but I think you're both moving too fast. Things can happen that I'm not sure either of you are ready for and."

Aelita, seeing Yumi's discomfort, stopped her. "Yumi I understand what you're trying to say. Jeremy and I haven't gone any further than making out but just doing that has given us ideas for the future that, quite frankly, scare me as much as they excite me. Jeremy said we should talk to each other about it and that he thought his parents would be willing to answer any of our questions."

Yumi breathed a sigh of relief that she wouldn't be the one explaining. "I think you should take Jeremy up on that offer." After a few seconds she added "yesterday you told me to resist the temptation to go into Ulrich's mind, remember?" Aelita nodded yes and Yumi continued. "That was good advice, even if I didn't want to hear it at the time. Sex is going to be a powerful temptation for both you and Jeremy. Don't push yourself further than you're comfortable with and don't let yourself get pushed either. Understand?"

"I understand," Aelita replied. "And I'm glad that you're here to look out for me and that you'll let Jeremy and I develop at our own pace. Your support means a lot to me."

Yumi smiled at her pink haired friend and got up. Both walked back down to Jeremy's room and collected their boyfriends to go out for lunch. On the way to the restaurant Jeremy walked hand in hand with Aelita while Ulrich and Yumi walked side by side. Aelita seeded a conversation then slowed down, causing her and Jeremy to fall behind Yumi and Ulrich. Jeremy leaned close to Aelita and whispered "good job" as he listened to the couple in front talk to each other.

Yumi and Ulrich were enjoying their light conversation so much that neither noticed Jeremy and Aelita slip behind them nor did they notice that the other couple was no longer participating. Unfortunately, as they neared the restaurant Yumi did notice Odd as he turned down a side street. All the good feelings she had evaporated and she took off running after him, rage fueling her body. Ulrich, Jeremy and Aelita ran after Yumi but it was clear that she was going to beat them to Odd.

Odd heard running and shouting and turned to look behind him, then faced forward and ran as fast and as hard as he could. But as fast as he was, Yumi was much faster and caught up to him, giving him a hard shove. He stumbled as Yumi's push added to his momentum then fell, barely managing to get his hands up to protect his face as he skidded to a stop on the concrete sidewalk. He saw Yumi's shadow as she walked up to him, felt his heart pound with exhaustion and fear. He marveled at the effect of adrenaline and whatever else was in the bodies flight or fight response. All of his senses were heightened and he didn't feel much of the pain that his torn knees and hands were surly radiating into his body. If it wasn't for the fact that he knew Yumi was going to beat him to a pulp he would have enjoyed the effect.

Yumi picked Odd up by the collar of his shirt and tossed him back onto the ground, face up. She stood over him and demanded that he get up so that she could show him how much a real woman appreciated being drugged. When he didn't respond she set grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him up unto his feet. Then she kneed him in the groin, sending him to the ground screaming in pain. Before she could do anything more Ulrich, Aelita and Jeremy had their hands on her, pulling her away and shouting for her to calm down, that it wasn't worth it. She struggled, watching as Odd slowly picked himself up then run off. With the focus of her anger gone it began to dissipate.

Odd painfully made his way back to school, wondering how Yumi could still be mad at him for making Ulrich her boyfriend. It wasn't like she had never taken risks to save he friends, she even died once and still came back for more. He continued on his way to school, trying to ignore the pain of his injuries. Trying to ignore the pain that his friends were inflicting on him with their neglect.

Yumi stood circled by her three friends and shaking from shame, guilt and exhaustion. She had gotten her justice and it felt really good to pay Odd back in physical pain for the emotional pain he had inflicted on her. But now it was over and she was beginning to regret her actions. Everyone told her it was ok, that they understood but was it? Odd's injuries would attract attention and her friends had secrets that needed to stay that hidden. Jeremy grabbed her attention be saying "Ulrich, Aelita why don't you take Yumi to the restaurant and see if you can calm her down. I'm going to go after Odd, make sure he gets back to school and has a story to explain his wounds." Aelita and Ulrich nodded their understanding and began to walk off with Yumi. Jeremy jogged to catch up with Odd.

"Hey Odd, don't run, Yumi's not with me." Jeremy called out as he approached.

Odd looked over his shoulder and answered "you want a piece of me too?"

Jeremy was conflicted, he heard the fear and pain in his voice and hated it but also knew it was well earned. "No. I just want to make sure you get back to school and then to the infirmary."

As Jeremy caught up he took a second to look Odd over, "any idea what we should tell the nurse?"

Odd paused, "I could tell her that Yumi got mad at me and beat me up for showing her how much she loved Ulrich and how much Ulrich loved her."

Jeremy scowled, "Yeah and then Ulrich would beat you up for getting Yumi into trouble. And you know what? You deserved this. You lured Yumi and drugged her with the intent of forcing Ulrich to rape her mind. You should consider yourself lucky that you're not dead."

"Lucky, you call being scorned by everyone you love lucky." Odd shot back. "I gave Yumi Ulrich. I gave Ulrich Yumi. They have me to."

Jeremy cut him his voice hard and cold, "Maybe they do and maybe, after everyone calms down and this begins to fade, they'll even appreciate it. But face it Odd, you saw what you wanted and you did whatever it took to make it happen without regard to what it would cost everyone else. How would you feel if somebody you trusted played on that trust to lure one of your sisters into a trap and put their life in danger or drugged and raped her."

Odd got even more angry, "How dare you even suggest that. I ought to."

"You ought to what Odd?" Jeremy challenged loudly.

Odd stopped in mid thought, he would treat anyone who tried to drug one of his sisters far worse than he was being treated right now. He knew that extended to Yumi and Aelita and even Ulrich and Jeremy. The realization of what he had really done hit hard and hurt even worse than the physical pain. He felt Jeremy try to steady him and pushed away, saying he didn't deserve the help.

"Come on Odd, get yourself together. We'll tell the nurse that you had a skateboarding accident and get you patched up. It may be possible for Yumi to forgive you, she knows you're an idiot who rarely thinks before acting."

"Ok." Odd replied meekly but trying to sound hopeful as he walked with Jeremy.

--

**Kadic Academy, Jeremy's room, Sunday 12:30 PM:** Aelita found Jeremy checking his email and tapped on his shoulder to get his attention. "I brought you something since you missed out on lunch."

Jeremy pushed away from his desk as he gave Aelita a warm thank you. He moved unto the bed so that Ulrich could use the computer to finish his report. Aelita took a seat next to him while Yumi and Ulrich took the two computer chairs at the desk. Ulrich turned towards the computer, "mind if I continue to work on my report since I'm here?"

"Not at all, let us know if you need any help." Jeremy replied.

After a little more than an hour of work Sissy barged in, ignoring the mostly closed door, to find Yumi and Ulrich working at Jeremy's desk and Jeremy and Aelita sitting on the bed with their arms slung around each other's shoulder and a laptop balanced between their laps. Jeremy spoke without noticing the intruder, "got it Ulrich. We'll send you the link... there you go." As he looked up he saw Sissy and announced her presence saying "ever hear of knocking Sissy?"

"If you have girls in the room the door should be wide open." Sissy replied, paraphrasing dorm rules. "And you two" she said with a gesture at Jeremy and Aelita, "are publicly displaying affection. But I can ignore that since I'm sure all of you will be willing to give me a little time alone with Ulrich."

"I know what happened between you and Ulrich this morning Sissy." Yumi stated. "If you're here to discuss that then you can talk in front of all of us."

Sissy's mask began to crumble. She needed to know why Ulrich had rejected her, needed to know what Ulrich saw in Yumi that he didn't see in her. But talking in front of his friends promised to be embarrassing even humiliating. She noticed that they were all staring at her expectantly. She glared back at each one and none seemed the least bit impressed. It was like they were taunting her. Jeremy and Aelita with their easy, practically carefree affection that she might never know. Ulrich, whose love she would never have. Yumi, who was most certainly laughing at her behind her calm face.

"We know everything that happened between you and Ulrich yesterday morning." Jeremy said kindly and with genuine sympathy. "If you need to talk about we'll listen. I don't even think Yumi's mad at you."

Sissy turned to Jeremy, disbelief clear in her features as she regarded both him and Aelita. She turned to Ulrich as he spoke. "Ask whatever you want. If it gets too personal you can ask Jeremy and Aelita to leave."

Sissy followed her first, most defensive impulse. "Yumi doesn't trust you to be alone with me?"

"I don't trust _you_ to be alone with Ulrich." Yumi retorted.

"Take it easy, both of you." Aelita cautioned. She continued in a kind voice "Sissy, ask your question please. Ulrich has a ton of work to do."

Sissy looked down at the floor, "why not me?" She regretted saying it as soon as the words were out of her mouth. But at the same time she desperately needed to know.

"Partly it's the way you've treated everyone around you. I know you can be kind and caring, you're most attractive when you're being that way but most of the time you act so selfish and stuck up, you treat everyone like they're inferior to you. I can't be with someone who's idea of fun is to bully people. Partly it's my own feelings. But for what it's worth you really had me tempted Friday night."

Sissy looked up from the floor to regard Ulrich. He was standing close to Yumi and she was holding his hand. Both had red cheeks but otherwise they were fine. There was a certainty to Ulrich's words that told her any further attempts to win him would be futile. She turned to leave and was stopped by Jeremy's voice "are you going to be ok?"

She turned around, "I've been left for Yumi. Do you have any idea how humiliating that's going to be!?"

"No, I don't." Jeremy stated simply.

"Is that really all that matters to you?" Aelita asked gently.

"No!" Sissy yelled, pouring out everything she had been holding back and thinking about since yesterday morning. "What matters is that I failed to win Ulrich. What matters is that I'll be alone. What matters is that I'll never know the friendship that you share. I'll never know the affection that you share. I'll" Sissy collapsed into a heap and there were a few students standing outside Jeremy's room looking on. Some were simply gawking, some were openly happy to see Sissy taken down.

Yumi looked out at the small group that had gathered and felt disgusted. Normally she had no problem seeing her romantic rival tossed down a few pegs but this was different. Sissy was here to, in effect, admit defeat and Yumi could understand how she felt. To be gawked at and humiliated at a time like this wasn't right. She released Ulrich's hand, not even realizing she had taken it and stepped towards the door, a menacing look on her face. "Get out of here," she commanded. The crowd dispersed as Yumi angrily closed the door. She turned back into the room and saw Aelita and Jeremy trying to comfort the now crying girl. She looked over to Ulrich, "Come on Ulrich, let's leave Sissy alone. I doubt she wants to be seen right now."

"No." Sissy choked out. "Don't leave me alone, please."

"It's ok Sissy." Jeremy soothed, having had plenty of practice with Aelita. "We're here, we won't leave you."

It took a while but Sissy regained her composure and finally stood up and straightened herself up somehow managing to look like nothing had ever happened. As she made her way to the door Aelita stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. Sissy spun around, "What!?"

Jeremy surveyed the room and got affirmative nods all around. He turned to Sissy, "we can be your friends."

Sissy looked around the room her confused, strange expression met with sincerity from all present. "You'll really accept me into your group?"

"All we'll ask is that you treat us as true friends. We can teach you how." Aelita answered.

Sissy looked to Yumi who answered her questioning gaze. "I don't imagine it'll be the popular thing to do. You may have to accept a change in your social status."

Sissy looked sadly at the floor after hearing that. She wasn't sure she was ready for that. She listened as Ulrich said, "maybe we could learn to be a little more popular. Just don't expect us to bully people."

Sissy smiled gratefully at Ulrich. She felt the expectant looks that everyone was giving her. She flashed a smile at everyone and answered with "I'll think about it" then left the room with a smile on her face and her head held high. She returned the door to the position it was in before she barged in then headed upstairs to her room. She was going to have to do some damage control since some had seen her breakdown. But on the whole she was happier than she had been earlier. The four teens in Jeremy's room shrugged their shoulders and returned to the task at hand, Ulrich still had a lot of work to do and he needed help.


	11. Odd's way out

A/N: A great big thanks to Moonlitxangel for her inspiration to continue this. I wasn't sure how I'd get Odd out of the mess he was in until she suggested that he might be primed for suicide.

**CommandoWolf:** You're too young to feel that way though I understand why.

What question? I asked for permission to use your character and AU anonymously via your forumspring account. I expected you'd recognize the 'old aviator' reference as me.

Anyway, thank you. With your standing permission I may create another story set in your AU if the inspiration strikes. Don't count on swearing more though, it's just not really my style.

**Kadic Academy, Library, Tuesday 7:45 PM:** Yumi glanced around the library's second floor, her eyes searching for Odd amongst the students there. The scowl on her face deepened as she considered just what he could be doing. Playing video games came to mind, trying to flirt with someone was another option. A glance around the table after forcing a neutral expression only deepened her contempt. After all, everyone present was giving up their evening to pull together for Ulrich so why did Odd, especially after what he did, get to be out enjoying himself while they worked?

Odd clutched his skateboard as he moved through the sewers towards the factory. Tears stung his eyes as he walked the underground trail he knew by heart. Neither he nor his friends had taken this route in defense of the world in much too long. But that was good for them, Jeremy needed to be released from the stress and Aelita needed the time to recover and enjoy the life she had helped fight for. Yumi and Ulrich now had a relationship that was growing. And himself? He had nothing really.

Not a single girl in school would date him. Where there was once the best video game in the world there was now school work. Where once laughter and mostly harmless pranks took the edge off the high expectations of Kadic Academy there were only its rules and regulations. Everyone was following them as closely as possible, all to ensure that Ulrich got to stay at Kadic. But the goal seemed hollow to him. After all, what was the point of having all your friends in one place if you couldn't have fun with them?

Jeremy ripped out a fresh sheet of graph paper and slid it over to Aelita who lightly brushed her hand over his as a thank you. Taking a set of color pencils that had been loaned to her by Odd she began to trace out the chemical equation Ulrich was having trouble with. While she drew Jeremy looked over his notebook and then began explaining what was happening and why Ulrich's first answer had been wrong. Yumi faked a smile as she watched, still upset over Odd's disappearance. Below the table her fist clenched as she considered just what she'd do to the boy if he failed the upcoming chemistry quiz.

Ulrich nodded in understanding as the information got through to him. While Jeremy and Aelita went back to their own homework he took a glance around the room, worried about Odd. It was easy enough to tell that Yumi was mad at the boy. Jeremy and Aelita both seemed to be unconcerned but he knew better. They were worried, not only at where he was and why he had abandoned them but also over what Yumi could do to him if he didn't have a really good excuse for skipping. Blushing as he touched Yumi's arm and letting his hand linger for a moment, he asked her to pass him a bottle of water, more to distract from the tension than from thirst. She smiled slightly and reached into her bag for the water, pausing to ask the two geniuses if they wanted anything.

Ulrich felt a wash of appreciation as Jeremy accepted and Aelita declined politely. Neither teen had decided to notice his lingering hand on Yumi's arm or their light blush. _Or perhaps they had_ he thought as he watched the pair look meaningfully at one another. He allowed himself to briefly wonder if that would be him and Yumi someday, able to talk to one another without needing to speak a word. They turned back to the table and Jeremy opened his water then took a sip of it. Aelita took the bottle out of Jeremy's hands and took a long drink, answering Jeremy's playful glare with a devious smile as she handed the bottle back to him.

Yumi looked wistfully at the couple then at Ulrich's water bottle before taking one for herself and opening it. Aelita cast a disappointed look at Yumi and shook her head as she lightly quipped "trust me, his water would have tasted better." Jeremy laughed while Yumi and Ulrich looked at, then away, from each other quickly. With a nervous look around the room Yumi slowly reached over the table and closed her hand around Ulrich's water. Then, with a single quick motion she pulled it towards her and took a drink. Satisfied with herself she returned the bottle to its previous position and avoided looking at Ulrich while trying to imagine the shock of her unexpected action. Aelita looked questioningly at Yumi while Jeremy looked at his black haired friend expectantly.

Odd climbed up to the factory's roof, careful to avoid any spots that looked too rusted to be safe. Finding the climb to be more exhausting than he'd expected he dropped his skateboard unto the roof then sat down on it. As he rocked side to side on the board he let the second thoughts come at him, hammering at his determination. He craved danger, wanted the excitement of facing a life and death situation. He couldn't go to Lyoko and even if he could there would be nothing dangerous there. He wanted freedom to come and go as he pleased, to skip assignments and copy the answers later. He wanted the relationship Jeremy had with Aelita and more. He wanted the glory of combat with a superior enemy. Everything he wanted he couldn't have. So he looked around the structure and began to formulate his plan.

Skateboarding up here was certain to be fraught with danger. But as he looked out at the river and the rocky shore at the island's edge he smiled. The water wasn't going to be warm but jumping off the roof and sticking the water landing had an appeal that he was finding hard to resist. If he died in the attempt, what difference would it make? Ulrich wouldn't have to worry about his distractions, Yumi wouldn't have to suppress her hatred, Jeremy wouldn't have to worry about his girlfriend leaving for him, Aelita wouldn't have to worry about Yumi's feud tearing the group apart. What's more he wouldn't be stuck in this living hell of all work and no play. He walked away from the edge with a purpose, looking for material to build a ramp.

Yumi, with a somewhat embarrassed expression, shook her head and answered the pink haired girls question with "I don't know what you're talking about, waters water."

Jeremy laughed again and Aelita joined in as Jeremy called Yumi out, saying simply "Liar." Ulrich discreetly put his hand around Yumi's and squeezed it firmly to offer his support. His cheeks gave away what he was doing though neither Jeremy nor Aelita seemed to notice. Once again, he wished he and Yumi had the ability to so easily share affection. He turned to look at Yumi as she joined in the tables laughter and squeezed his hand back. Unfortunately. as things calmed down and everyone turned back towards their respective work Ulrich could feel the missing person. However misguided the method was, Odd had been responsible for the moment he and Yumi had just shared.

From her own table, Sissi watched Ulrich and Yumi recover from their moment of mirth and return to the tasks before them. If anyone cared to notice, they'd see that she was green with envy. She wanted to be the one laughing at Ulrich's side, wanted to be the one that Jeremy and Aelita looked at with warm, friendly love. And of course she could do that, they had invited her to study with them and had been treating her with much more respect than ever before. But she wasn't quite over her desire for Ulrich and didn't want to watch him with Yumi. Shaking her head and turning away, she considered whether or not she would ever be ready for that.

Odd climbed down the ladder that led to the roof and began to look around the building. The irony didn't escape him as he considered how this had all started. Jeremy had come to the factory looking for robot parts and found the supercomputer, XANA and Aelita. Now he was here, looking for parts to build a ramp that could very well lead to his own end. His silent search of the site began to yield fruit as several planks of wood and metal looked like they would be easy to scavenge. Of course he would still have to get them to the roof. But that was solvable, he wasn't Jeremy but he didn't need to be. A little exploring and he would find the maintenance access to the roof, the door where workers could get material easily up and down. He set about on his new search.

Ulrich started at the page of problems, his will to keep working in the incomplete group gone as he decided that Odd had been punished enough. "We should go and find Odd."

Yumi's good mood was the first to evaporate, "we wasted enough time trying to call him when we met up this evening."

Ulrich tried to keep his temper in check, knowing that Yumi could easily get the upper hand in that department. "I'm worried about him..."

As expected that got everyone's attention. Ulrich was, after all, Odd's best friend and roommate. If he was worried it was probably a good idea to listen to his concern. "Go on," Jeremy answered, a sharp look directed at Yumi to silence her protest.

Ulrich bit back his shock as Yumi bit back whatever she was going to say. He made a note for later to talk to Jeremy about how he did that. "Look Odd may be a selfish jerk at times but we all know he wouldn't just leave us hanging like this."

" Brynga" Yumi answered, directing a hard look at Jeremy who nodded.

"But he left her to come save me." Aelita retorted. "Even if it was because she had every other guy fawning over her at the pool we all know Odd doesn't usually give up that easily." Yumi's expression softened as she considered and Aelita took that as a sign she should continue. "However wrong his method was, you and Ulrich are happy together and."

"It wouldn't have happened without him." Yumi finished reluctantly. Admitting that was like swallowing shards of broken glass to her. But it seemed to drive away some of her animosity towards the boy. Not enough to prevent her from maybe breaking one of his legs so he couldn't pull a stunt like this again but enough to keep her from seriously considering killing him.

Jeremy decided to take command and, after trying to call him but only getting Odd's voicemail, issued the orders. "I'm going to my room, the rest of you look around campus in Odd's normal spots. Hopefully he's just hiding somewhere to play games." With that he left while Ulrich doled out the best areas to look on campus.

Sissi followed Aelita after overhearing Jeremy's orders and then Ulrich's search areas. With a concerned look she asked the obvious question, "why does Jeremy not need to search with the rest of you."

Aelita's expression turned thoughtful for a moment and she considered not telling Sissi anything. But the girl was unlikely to be deterred by stonewalling and it wasn't like she hadn't done similar things anyway. "Every cell phone sold in the past several years has a GPS tracking chip in it. Jeremy is going to hack the phone company and get Odd's location for us... Unless we find him first."

Sissi looked wide eyed as she fingered her mobile, "he can really do that?"

"Of course." Aelita answered proudly. "He's incredible with computers."

Ten minutes later, Sissi jumped as Aelita's phone rang. "He's where... Ok Jeremy I'm on my way with Sissi... Great, I'll see you there." Aelita hung up with Jeremy and turned to Sissi, "You know the old abandoned factory?" She asked with a hint of concealed dread.

"Yeah"

"Jeremy says that's where Odd is." With that she turned abruptly and moved swiftly towards the stairs with Sissi following hot on her heels. Deciding not to reveal too much she charged out the gates and took the overland route towards the familiar place. Silently she cursed Odd for going there. _If anything happened there_... "Come on Sissi" Aelita yelled as she pumped her legs harder for more speed. The thought, combined with her history of premonitions fueled her body as she pushed for yet more speed. Her heart pounded in her ears and her breath came in heaves but she left Sissi behind in her panic fueled sprint.

Odd looked at the cobbled together ramp with a mixed sense of terror and accomplishment. Had the two brains been here they'd have calculated precisely the angle and speed he would need to ensure he landed in the river. Assuming they agreed to help in any way, shape or form that was. He strongly doubted they would, they hadn't even been willing to repair Yumi and Ulrich's relationship. As it was, he had roughly estimated what he'd need from his long history of skateboarding. And now, as he jumped on the ramp and decided that it was sturdy enough, he prepared himself to face the death defying stunt. The rush of adrenaline was so very welcome as he stood on a sloped metal part of the structure and prepared to push off.

Time seemed to slow as the hormone combined with the danger heightened his senses and stripped his mind of any unnecessary thinking. He could almost feel each molecule or air as the cold wind blew over the roof. He heard it whistle slightly as it passed the various things protruding from the surface. The sound of his wheels drowned that out as they rolled on the sloped metal. His muscles exerted themselves as he pushed forward to gain more speed. The exhilaration as he left the ramp and went airborne was like nothing else. The weightless feeling of freefall as he plummeted towards the welcome embrace of the water below a fitting end to his life.

Sissi stopped on the bridge and bent over panting as her tired legs demanded she stop. Ignoring as best she could the burning sensation she looked up as footfalls from Aelita faded into nothingness. That the girl had ran so quickly and tirelessly was utterly amazing. Movement over the water caught her attention as she struggled to pull herself out of the crouch then over to the rail of the bridge. She looked out at the water, straining to see the falling object.

Pure terror overcame her, banishing the sense the tiredness and the pain in her muscles when the object finally registered as a person. The outcome was going to be bad and she shouted for the rest of Odd's friends. Without realizing what she was doing, she ran off the bridge and towards the shore of the river. The impact of Odd's landing barely registered through the determination. The cold of the water and the weight of her soaked clothes were irrelevant as she swam after surely drowning boy.

Aelita followed the sound of Sissi's shout and then the horrifying sound of the splash that she knew to be Odd. Without hesitating she too plunged into the cold river and swam out after Odd and Sissi. Yumi and Ulrich arrived shortly after and waded into the water to pull an unconscious Odd and bone tired Aelita and Sissi out of the icy water. Jeremy pushed his way over to Odd, his passing glance quickly telling him that Aelita and Sissi were fine. Odd was another story though and a quick order from him sent Aelita digging into his pocket so she could call for help.

Directing Yumi and Ulrich to help Sissi and Aelita, Jeremy began to administer first aid. Tilting Odd's head he compressed the boy's chest to get the water out of his lungs. But Odd didn't start breathing on his own and so Jeremy started CPR in earnest. Yumi and Ulrich huddled with Aelita and Sissi as the two girls leaned heavily on them for support and warmth.

After several minutes that left Jeremy panting from the effort of keeping his friend alive, Odd coughed and looked around hazily. Jeremy immediately moved his hands from Odd's chest to his neck, trying to prevent him from moving too much in case he had a spinal injury from the fall. The rest gathered around, using their voices to try and calm their injured friend while they held his arms and legs to restrain and comfort him. Meanwhile Odd babbled incoherently for a moment before it was drowned out by sirens. Speaking quickly but calmly, Jeremy explained Odd's state when he was pulled from the water, what he had done to revive him and his assessment of the injuries Odd had. The paramedics made their own checks anyway but threw an impressed smile at Jeremy as they assured the entire group of kids that Odd would be alright.

**Kadic City Hospital, Emergency department waiting room, Tuesday 8:30 PM:** Jeremy looked quickly around the subdued decor of the family waiting room and led Aelita to an un-occupied seat a comfortable distance from the door. As he sat down his mind flooded with worry that he tried to push down in favor of being strong for Aelita. But he couldn't force away the guilt, the thought that he could have prevented this. Had he tried to somehow make lessons more interesting or if he'd done more to help Yumi and Ulrich forgive him this might not have happened. Jumping from the roof as had been described to him earlier had to be a suicide attempt.

Aelita whimpered beside him and any thoughts he had turned to the pink haired girl he called his angel. She was very clearly suffering, and was trying hard not to show how much. The thought worried him, making him wonder what was going through her mind as he stroked her arms to try and calm her. He felt her shiver and moved to pull the blanket she clutched to herself off of her. She gave it up easily and he spread it so that it covered them both then pulled her as close to him as he could to share his warmth. Aelita looked at him and her tear streaked face held a trace of gratitude within the agony she fought not to show. He smiled slightly and guided her head into his shoulder, telling her it was ok to cry.

Aelita held unto her anguish even as Jeremy offered to let her cry it out into his warm shoulder. This was almost as far from what she wanted as she could actually get. Odd in the hospital with his condition unknown and the possibility that he could die hanging over her. The thought of losing one of her adoptive family so soon after losing her real one hurt more than she could bear. As she clung to Jeremy her thoughts drifted to Odd and all the fun times they'd shared.

The jokes and pranks played across the school. Mean things that were erased by the return trips and the way Odd had sown delight by altering his plans after seeing the results of the first version. He and Jeremy were similar in that regard, sometimes needing the second chance to do things better. Guilt added itself to the weight she bore. She hadn't given Odd a second chance after the incident, didn't even consider him worthy of it. Yet now his life hung in the balance and she hadn't forgiven him. She finally let it overwhelm her and cried. "I... he'll die never..."

"Shhh" Jeremy gently tried to shush Aelita, feeling his own pain as options of how she might finish that sentence rushed through his mind.

Aelita shook her head and gulped, barely managing to force out a coherent sentence, "he can't die alone, thinking we all hate him."

Jeremy tried to supportively rub her arms and ignore the tears he knew were falling. Giving up on hiding his own feelings he mumbled "it's not entirely your fault, we all..." Struggling to take a breath and steady his trembling voice he continued "Odd's not going to die, he didn't fall from high enough and..." He couldn't think of anything else and it sounded a lot like he was trying to convince himself more than Aelita anyway.

Ulrich paced the mostly empty room nervously, ignoring the empty seats in favor of keeping on the move. His mind raced through the many possibilities as he tried to contain both his fear and anger. A doctor could come in at any moment and tell them that Odd was dead. He could say Odd had damaged his spine and would be paralyzed for life. He could say that Odd would never walk again.

Yumi sat in a corner, forcing herself to hold back the tears she felt like crying. All the terrible things she had considered doing to him came crashing back on her as memories she'd rather forget. The actual possibility that he wouldn't survive was sobering. The possibility that if he did he wouldn't be able to experience life the way he had wanted to was almost too much to bear. Especially since the whole reason for it was the relationship that she and Ulrich hadn't been able to start on their own.

Her eyes flitted about the room, occupied only by the former Lyoko warriors and Sissi. Aelita was crying softly into Jeremy's shoulder while he held her under the blanket they both shared. She wanted that sort of comfort from Ulrich and at the same time wanted to offer it to him. But she knew better than to think she deserved any such thing. She deserved to be alone and suffering the way Odd had for the past several days. The way she had wanted him to and so much worse.

Jeremy sat with Aelita as she recovered her composure through force of will rather than actually feeling better. He knew none of them would be alright until they knew Odd's condition. He looked around the room to see what everyone was doing then looked at the doorway and into the hallway. He strained to listen for any sign of Odd's condition but they were too far away from the ER to have any realistic hope of hearing anything before a doctor or nurse filled them in.

In the information void his mind wandered and he briefly wished he could have thought a little more and gotten Odd to the supercomputer. A diagnostic scan would have shown the complete extent of Odd's injuries and the supercomputer would have offered the possibility of treating him then and there. Whatever Odd's injuries were, he was certain a program and Lyoko could have been used to fix them. The feeling of Aelita pulling her head off of his shoulder brought his attention back to the present and he looked into her tear streaked face to see determination building.

Aelita pulled herself away from Jeremy's shoulder, regretting the loss of his warmth and the feel of his shirt and neck against her face. Her eyes surveyed the room and she saw Yumi, simmering in guilt and anger directed inwards. She saw Ulrich pacing the room as he tried to contain the fears he harbored over his best friend and the guilt she could tell he had. Sissi showed that she too was genuinely worried about Odd despite the mask that suggested she only cared about being the hero who selflessly ran into the cold river to save him. Determination sparked inside her.

This was no way to be handling things and she would need to be one to act. Seeing that Jeremy understood as she returned his gaze she got up out of her chair, leaving the blanket she had been under with him behind. Her fingertips trailed off of Jeremy's shoulder and the wetness of her own tears was balanced by the hand he placed over her fingers for the last few seconds of contact. Drawing strength from Jeremy's support she walked away from him, vaguely aware of him shrugging off the blanket and moving closer to the door.

She walked over to Ulrich, pushing off her fears of how he'd react. It was obvious that she was going to need to be the strong one here. Somehow, that thought actually soothed her as she placed a gentle hand on Ulrich's shoulder and whispered, "Yumi's upset, why don't you go over there and see if you can cheer her up."

Ulrich looked over at Yumi then turned away, seeing only his failure there. Odd risked his friendship with the group to make his and Yumi's relationship possible. Odd had endured the shunning and threats while he and Yumi enjoyed the benefits of their slowly growing relationship.

"Ulrich." Aelita said to regain his attention. "Odd's sacrifice will mean nothing if you can't go over there and comfort your girlfriend." Her statement had the ring of a command but still Ulrich seemed to ignore it. "Fine." Aelita said with much more disgust then she wanted. "Stay here and pace." She wiped her eyes and wondered where the cold fury came from. But she was every bit as upset as the rest were and it was obviously a little too much emotion for her to deal with.

Jeremy looked up at the sound of Aelita's voice, the tone she had just used with Ulrich so very uncharacteristic. His worry over Odd's condition fought with his need to go to Aelita but after a minute's hesitation his concern for Aelita won. There was nothing he could do for Odd from here anyway. He got up and started towards Aelita but she stopped him with a grateful glance and a very small smile. She walked towards Yumi while he returned to his vigil at the door.

Sissi also watched as Aelita approached Yumi and though it made her ill to consider, she knew it was Ulrich who should be there, not Aelita. Swallowing her selfishness, and seeing as no one from school had yet managed to arrive, she let the pain show as she walked towards Ulrich. "Aelita's right you know, you should be over there with Yumi."

Ulrich narrowed his eyes for a moment before seeing the sincerity and hurt in Sissi's words. She wasn't hoping to sabotage the young relationship, she was trying to help it. More guilt crashed around him, along with the uncertainty of how either he or Yumi could deserve the sympathy. But then Sissi didn't know the story.

"Look Ulrich, I'm not blind and I know something happened to create a rift in your group." The flicker of surprise in Ulrich's face told Sissi she was on the right track. "Whatever it was," Sissi lowered her voice to a hushed whisper, "it made Odd jump off the roof of an abandoned factory." She raised her voice to a more normal level though she strained to keep from yelling, "so fix it because I might not be there to save your friend next time." With that she walked away to await either word on Odd's condition or her father.

Ulrich glanced at Yumi then decided to actually look at her face. Blowing out a breath he finally gave up pacing back and forth in favor of taking a seat near her. Aelia got up as he approached and met his eyes as they passed. She was expecting him to help the person she considered a big sister and he couldn't help but remember how angry she'd looked when Sissi had tried to convince both of them that Yumi and Jeremy were cheating with each other. He shuddered as he realized that the expression on her face was one of 'or else'.

Aelita walked over to Sissi, sparing a larger smile for the girl before hugging her. "Thank you for saving Odd." Sissi stood there for a few seconds as a former enemy hugged her warmly then somewhat awkwardly returned the embrace.

Yumi and Ulrich looked awkwardly at one another for a long moment before Yumi motioned him to sit down. Silence reigned as they both watched Aelita lead Sissi over to where Jeremy was sitting. Looking guiltily at Ulrich, Yumi frowned and finally said, "you think he'll be ok?"

"He's Odd, he always lands on his feet" Ulrich replied in a subdued manor that was entirely unconvincing.

"Yeah." Yumi replied in the same way. She glanced nervously around the room and thought about what Aelita had said earlier. Swallowing her pride she looked over at the doorway to the ER, "he wouldn't be here if I..." Emotion seemed to choke off her voice.

Ulrich hesitantly put his hand on her shoulder over the blanket she was wrapped in. He couldn't find any words that seemed like they would make things better but he felt he had to try. "It's my fault Yumi, I should have seen this coming and."

"And what Ulrich?" Yumi interrupted him. "I'm the one who wished this on him a thousand times over."

Ulrich almost couldn't believe the strain in Yumi's voice. It sounded like she was doing everything she possibly could to keep from crying and it was just really strange to hear. But at the same time it was a welcome change from the hardness and the almost scornful way she acted towards Odd. Trying to sooth her and hoping she would be willing to listen he whispered "he's going to be ok and he'll welcome your friendship."

Yumi's mind flooded with memories of the past as a dam somewhere within broke. Bad jokes that weren't really funny at all yet made everyone laugh. The times he'd put down Sissi in defense of Ulrich and of her. The pranks that always had a way of going awry yet working out in the end. His maddening need to act the reckless hero yet the responsibility he showed when it really mattered. The memories blasted apart whatever remained of her self-control and she began to weep over the possible loss and the pain she'd inflicted beyond what was really called for. Ulrich gingerly held her in his arms.

Sissy looked over at Yumi and then quickly looked away as the usually tough girl broke down. On some level she wondered what they were all going to miss about him. But as soon as the question presented itself memories of Odd pushed to the front of her mind and she remembered the times when he'd been kind hearted and nice to her. As she considered some of the better memories she wondered what it would be like without him at school. Tears she couldn't quite understand stung at her eyes as she considered. Life would be quieter and simpler around campus without him. She wouldn't have to worry about his pranks and jokes humiliating her. Yet, in some way, she couldn't imagine life actually being better without them despite wishing for that a countless number of times.

Yumi pulled her head up and gathered her courage to ask something she probably didn't deserve. She had to be the first person to see him, he deserved to know that she was sorry for how she had treated him. He needed to understand how ashamed she was that it had taken his near death to make her understand. Most of all, he needed to know that she would help him recover in any way she could. "Ulrich?"

"Yeah?" He answered in a warm voice.

"If..." Yumi squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as she paused then continued, "when we can go see Odd, do you mind if I go first?" She pulled back to get a look at Ulrich's face as he considered.

With a slow nod he answered "yeah, I think I understand." He smiled slightly at Yumi as she leaned back into him.

Walking purposely forward, the attending doctor for the ER frowned slightly as he greeted the man who had been introduced as Principal Delmas. He took the offered paperwork, opened the folder and quickly read the contents: A parental consent form authorizing the school and him specifically to make emergency decisions in the event of, well, any sort of emergency concerning one Odd Della Robbia. With his legal base covered, the doctor handed the paperwork to a hospital staff member with instructions to get copies then waved Mr. Delmas down the hall. As they walked he explained what he knew about what happened to the boy that ended up in his ER. Stopping just out of earshot of the waiting room where they'd put the kids Odd came in with he finished up then led the principal in silence to the room. With a curt nod he allowed Mr. Delmas to proceed him and took in the sight of five puffy eyed and upset teenagers.

"About your friend..."

A/N #2: If you happen to use Greasemonkey for Firefox and have really long private message conversations then my profile contains a script that might help you. It adds a compose reply button to the bottom of the page, underneath the most recent private message received.


	12. The trouble an exit makes

A/N: Thank you to Moonlitxangel for beta reading and thank you to all who have reviewed.

Commando Wolf: It was only a 2,100 word story and it just flowed I guess. Anyway I'm glad I still have some insight into your thoughts and am glad you liked the story. I hope you understand that in lieu of reviews, finding your story worth making my own expansions should tell you how much I'm enjoying it.

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**Kadic City Hospital, Emergency department waiting room, Tuesday 8:55 PM:** Jeremy, Aelita and Sissi all stood up as principal Delmas and a man in a white lab coat entered. Yumi and Ulrich watched him intently from their position near the center of the room. The man in the lab coat made sure to make eye contact with each student as he briefed them. "About your friend... He's surprisingly lucky, both that all of you were there to rescue him and to have received fairly mild injuries. We know he lost consciousness but there are no apparent signs of concussion or any other type of brain injury, nor so we see any evidence of spinal injury." The last section was directed at Jeremy who looked away meekly before recovering. "Though with a high fall it was a good thing to think of. The bad news however, is that both of Odd's legs are broken and he needs surgery to realign the bones in his leg. We expect that he'll be taken up for that procedure in a few hours and in the meantime he's resting as comfortably as we can make him in a private room."

Odd looked around the small, bland hospital room he had been wheeled into and sighed, thinking how much better it would be if the room had a gaming system to occupy his mind while he waited. With nothing else to do he considered his fate. He had survived his jump, thanks to Sissi and the rest of his friends, or at least that's what the nurse told him when he'd asked earlier. He wasn't really certain what had happened. There was the thrilling ride up and over ramp he'd made followed by the breathtaking freefall to the river below. Then there was the immense pain as he hit the water and his legs scrunched up to absorb the blow. Cold wet blackness followed by blurs and indistinct voices on land. Shouting and blaring noises dominated his fragmented memory until he'd really woken up at the center of a flurry of activity.

He recalled Men and women in white coats rushing around him, poking and prodding at his body while ignoring the pain he experienced. Large words spoken in raised voices, mentions of finding his parents and confusion over what had happened to him. A technician wheeled a large machine to him and positioned it over his legs. Activity died to nothing as doctors and nurses retreated from the device for a few snaps from the machine. When that was over they moved him to another room and put his head into a large donut shaped machine and admonished him to remain still. A smile cracked his lips as the absurdity of that command finally registered, he was in a neck brace and couldn't have moved if he'd wanted to. After that it was all over and they had given him real pain medication before bringing him here and leaving him alone while they planned out their next actions to fix him.

The notion made him scoff. He wouldn't have needed fixing if his friends hadn't interfered. He would have been free of this world and it's endless boring work. His friends, the very ones who had rushed to save him would be free of the trouble he was. No more tutoring him and worrying if he'd pass the next test. No more wondering if he'd pull a prank that got everyone in trouble and Ulrich pulled from Kadic. Why he was still here made no sense.

Or did it? Perhaps they weren't done punishing him, perhaps they wanted him to suffer longer. Wanted to watch him struggle with assignments to tedious to qualify as anything but torture. Wanted to force him to endure long lectures while longing to fight monsters in the world's greatest video game. Enjoyed seeing him sweat as he crammed for a test on Yumi's painful glare, knowing just how much punishment she could dish out for a low score.

But even to his slightly drug addled mind that explanation didn't make sense. They had never enjoyed anyone else's pain, not even Sissi's. What's more, Lyoko warriors didn't give up on one another and maybe they weren't giving up on him. Maybe they realized what a mistake they were making and wanted to correct it. Maybe things were going to be different now that he'd shown them all how far they'd pushed him. But he wouldn't know that answer until his first visit, whenever that was. He hopped it would come before the surgery, however much he liked surprises he wanted the answer so it wouldn't eat at him in his lonely room.

Yumi's face brightened at the mention of no spinal or brain injuries but then she paled as she considered Odd living with both his legs broken. She knew, or rather assumed, that life was going to be very difficult for him. But it also offered the possibility that she could repay her debt to him by helping him out. He would likely need a lot of things done for him after all.

Jeremy and Aelita nodded their understanding of Odd's condition and felt the wave of relief that came from knowing that Odd was out of the worst danger. In the absence of all that worry, Jeremy began to try and figure out a way to make life easier for Odd as he recovered. One of his first thoughts was to create a clone program, a specter that could serve as Odd's assistant. But passing off a new student would be a problem. Using the supercomputer scanners to just fuse the bone...

Aelita looked over at Jeremy, tearing her attention away from the doctor as a result of Sissi's nudge and the roll of her head in Jeremy's direction. The faraway, thoughtful look had only one or two possible meanings and under other circumstances it might have amused her enough to draw a giggle. But she knew they couldn't just fix Odd's problems with the supercomputer though she understood Jeremy's desire to do just that. She nudged Jeremy and noted his confusion before his attention refocused on the current situation. Filling the void of her former sadness was hope that they could all pull together to help Odd and it would finally heal the rifts in her family.

Sissi breathed an audible sigh of relief at hearing the good news and then inwardly grimaced at what that would mean. Odd would suddenly be popular with the girls, his two legs entombed in a cast drawing out all the sympathy on campus. Of course, there were ways she could use that to her advantage. But the strangest plan she had was to work with Odd's friends to help him out and really become one of them.

Ulrich almost shouted as the anxiety and fear evaporated in the face of the doctors words. It might not be the easiest road to take but it would be worth it to have Odd back. He smiled and considered allowing Odd to stay up all night playing video games when he finally made it back to Kadic. A few sleepless nights would be a small price to pay to have his best friend back. Turning towards Yumi he just barely managed to avoid giving her a hug, forcing himself to save that for when it could be done more privately.

"After surgery, " the doctor continued in the same professional tone he had started the conversation with. "We'll keep him for the day and should, assuming there are no complications, be releasing him in the evening." With that the doctor turned crisply towards the door, intending to leave the group of relieved students to the care of their principal.

"Doctor? Umm... can we see Odd now?"

He turned back around to face the feminine voice that had addressed him and belatedly realized that he hadn't introduced himself to the students, only the principal. "Doctor Greene," he answered, "and I don't have a problem with that however it's up to the principal and if he does allow it I have to ask that only one person go at a time, that you be quiet and respectful of the other patients and also that you realize he may be groggy from the pain medication." With that he turned and walked out the door, standing just outside in case the man let one of the five students to see their friend before his surgery.

All eyes turned on Mr. Delmas and he hesitated in making a decision. The five some of Jeremy, Aelita, Yumi, Ulrich and Odd had been nigh inseparable over the years and there was something different about the entire group. He looked to Aelita and decided that she, as Odd's cousin, should be allowed to go and see him tonight. Depending on how long that took and how long the hospital needed to prep the boy for surgery the others might just have to wait until tomorrow. Turning towards Aelita he said "I can't deny family so you can go see Odd tonight. We'll see after that about the rest of you."

Yumi noticed that Aelita's face flashed in fear for just a moment before she managed to force the emotion down. She could tell from the way Jeremy tensed then relaxed that he felt the same thing. It took all of 5 seconds to realize why, if Mr. Delmas mentioned that little fact to Odd's parents they would deny Aelita's existence and if he decided to investigate... "Mr. Delmas?"

Aelita looked at Yumi when she heard her voice and noted the almost pleading look, answering with a confused though grateful expression. Understanding blossomed as she listened to Yumi ask to be the first one to see Odd. When she was finished, the black haired girl looked questioningly at Aelita who nodded yes. Turning to the principal she said, "Yumi can go in my place."

The principal looked between the two girls with the confusion evident on his face. Ulrich decided to shed some light on the situation saying, "sir, Yumi and Odd have been fighting lately and I think she wants to apologize."

Aelita and Jeremy nodded yes when the principal turned a questioning gaze on Aelita who answered with "she needs to do this more than I need to see my cousin right now." She turned to Jeremy and noted his approval though there was still worry on his face. "Besides, I'm sure there'll be enough time for me go next."

The principal nodded and motioned Yumi to go with the doctor to Odd's room. After watching Yumi leave he turned back to the rest and asked what happened in a neutral voice. The doctor had wondered if Jeremy's account of what happened was accurate since he wasn't sure falling off of a river crossing bridge was high enough to cause the injuries Odd sustained and Jeremy wasn't, by his own admission, actually able to see what happened.

Sissi's eyes swept briefly around the room and, seeing as no one was going to be able to answer since they hadn't seen what happened answered with "Odd didn't come to their study session and they ignored it at first but Ulrich got worried and convinced them to go look for him. Jeremy used his computer to hack into the phone company and get Odd's location from the GPS. in his phone."

Jeremy shifted uncomfortably under the principals _we will be discussing this later_ glare. Aelita rubbed her arm lightly against his and pushed her hand into his as a show of support. Sissi noticed and quickly added, "I'm sure he doesn't..." She trailed off as her father looked at her then added "it was an emergency, it may have helped me save Odd's life." Her expression brightened as her father's look of disapproval began to show some pride directed at his daughter.

"Anyway," she continued quickly, "he told Aelita and I that Odd was at the abandoned factory and we ran there. Aelita outran me there but she went into the factory while I was on the bridge and..." Sissi paused and took a breath, feeling all eyes on her and seeing sympathy from Jeremy. After a few seconds she continued "I saw Odd falling from the roof of the building. I yelled for help and selflessly dove into the water to get him back to shore before he drowned. Aelita came after me then Yumi and Ulrich helped pull all of us back unto shore where Jeremy showed up and began CPR. Aelita called the ambulance with Jeremy's phone and here we are."

Mr. Delmas frowned as he considered her explanation. Jeremy hacking into a utility didn't sit right with him. But more importantly he wanted to know what Odd was doing anywhere near the old factory. The place had been abandoned for many years and it was, he had always figured, a deathtrap waiting to happen. That Odd had been lucky enough to survive was one thing. The fearful scowl Jeremy, Aelita and Ulrich flashed at his daughter when she mentioned the factory suggested something, though exactly what was a mystery he needed to solve. If they were all going to that old place for some reason... "Why was Odd at the factory?" He let the concern and disappointment color his voice.

Each member of the group looked at one another as they struggled to come up with an answer. Each knew they couldn't tell the truth as they would risk revealing Aelita's secret. Sissi wondered why they were being so uncooperative given their usual willingness to help out. Then she recalled a piece of gossip from Nicholas and Herve regarding Odd and Aelita kissing at the factory. Perhaps they used the place as a hangout and didn't want to lose it. She looked towards the ground and considered whether to tell her father about that. One the one hand it was dangerous and had nearly taken Odd's life already. But one the other she could appreciate the value their little hideaway had to them.

Yumi entered Odd's temporary room and he turned lazily towards the sound of footsteps approaching. His eyes widened slightly and his heart rate increased as indicated by the monitor he was hooked to. She forced herself to continue despite knowing that the doctor seemed a bit puzzled by the reaction and walked to his bedside. Forcing a smile to her lips and regretting it had to be forced she placed her hand gently on Odd's arm. "You really scared all of us." Her voice sounded a bit broken and she felt the water waiting in the corner of her eye for an opportunity to fall. Steadying herself with a breath she looked him in the eye, "I really thought I'd lost you, that we all lost you and..."

Odd looked up at Yumi, hearing the sadness and pain in her voice. Despite the drugs the doctors had given him, he wasn't so lightheaded as to not recognize it. His fear had faded the instant her cool fingers met his arm, the contact gentle and reassuring. Had it not been for that he might not have believed what he was hearing. She smiled down at him again, this one seeming more real, and added thank you to her unfinished sentence. As she started to turn away he picked up his hand and grasped at hers, causing her to face him once again.

Yumi tried to smile briefly before her lips pressed into a thin line. "The others want to see you before your surgery..." Taking a step closer she leaned into the bed to bring her face closer to his. She shook her head and couldn't prevent the tear from falling. Of all the many things she wanted to tell him and despite, or perhaps because of, the emotions she felt nothing was coming now. Settling for the most honest thing she could think of she said "I'm sorry you had to do this to make me see... I'm sorry I couldn't forgive you before and... I'm glad you pushed me and Ulrich together." Blinking back more tears she gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "You'll be fine, I'll make sure of it."

Odd smiled as he considered the lingering sensation of Yumi's lips on his cheek. "Yumi?"

"Yeah?"

"You're welcome." She smiled and he couldn't help but feel a little better as he basked under the warm, genuine smile she favored him with. He watched as a nurse escorted Yumi away and almost laughed, wondering how glad he should be that Ulrich wasn't here to see that. That feeling soon faded to guilt as he realized just what the other's had to be feeling about his attempted suicide. But on some level he was happy to see that, glad that what he did had given them some perspective on how they had been treating him lately. And he was glad that it seemed they were no longer interesting in punishing him.

As Yumi walked along in the hall she couldn't help but wonder if that had really been enough of a conversation. She had said nothing close to what it felt like she should have in terms of volume yet somehow it seemed to be enough. Pondering how that could be and almost swimming in the feeling of relief that she would get a second chance she absently walked by hall she was supposed to turn down. A call from the nurse that was escorting her brought her back to reality and she hurriedly back-tracked then took the correct turn.

Sissi looked around and decided to voice the fear she could guess they all held. "I think he wanted his stunt to kill him."

"What!" Her father demanded sounding incredulous. Odd had never shown any signs of being suicidal before now. A glance around the room showed that each teenager present was struggling to not show how much they thought that was true which only confirmed his daughter's assessment of the situation. "Why would he try something like that?"

Ulrich answered, or tried to, "he... Well um..."

"He wasn't having any fun with us" Aelita cut in, obviously hoping to take the attention off of him.

"That's no reason to try and kill himself." Mr. Delmas responded with the shock still clear in his voice. After a moment's thought he asked, "what about the fight with Yumi." Judging by the reactions he guessed he had hit the mark. He looked at Aelita for a moment.

Jeremy pulled his thoughts together and considered how he could spin this to avoid the supercomputer and to prevent Odd from getting into serious trouble. Unfortunately anything that involved something that could sound like the truth also made Odd sound like he was a criminal. Which wasn't necessarily untrue, not that it mattered to anyone here save Mr. Delmas. He longed for the days when trouble like this could be solved by a program or a deactivated tower followed by a return to the past. Just as quickly he dismissed the idea, Odd's life was no longer in danger and though he might get into some trouble it could be made manageable. **If** he could come up with a decent story.

Ulrich, grateful that the principal wasn't staring at him, looked down at the floor for the countless time. Like Jeremy and Aelita, at least he assumed, he was struggling to come up with something that wouldn't paint Odd as a criminal who needed to be expelled. But it was easy enough to see that if his best friends could push Odd out of the circle then Mr. Delmas might see that he had no choice but to do that.

Sissi's disbelieving eyes scanned the faces of the people she had thought were Odd's best friends. "What is wrong with all of you! Odd tried to kill himself and rather tell my father why so he can help him you stay silent! Do you want him to try again? Do you want to see him try until he succeeds?" She saw Jeremy, Aelita and Ulrich wince at each question. She recognized the looks they flashed at her as some sort of you don't understand glance.

Mr. Delmas spoke in a fatherly tone, conveying authority and a measure of acceptance. "Sissi is right, whatever happened you can tell me. Part of my job is to help and I can't do that if you won't tell me what's wrong." There was almost a note of pleading in his voice as he finished speaking. Disappointment radiated from his presence as time ticked by with nothing further said and only the uncomfortable shuffling of teenagers created any sort of sound.

Yumi walked into the room with the nurse that had escorted her and felt the cold, uncomfortable silence along with all eyes turning to her. Knowing that nothing had happened to Odd since she was just there she assumed something had not gone well in the waiting room. The smile that had been slowly growing as she considered that she could make amends with Odd faded in an instant as she saw the principal look at her expectantly.

Aelita cast an apologetic look at Yumi as she walked towards the doorway and the nurse who was starting to turn away. Not wanting to call attention to her exit but at the same time knowing that she needed the nurse's guidance since she had not been told the room number she fearfully squeaked out, "Nurse?" She tensed as all eyes fell unto her but forced herself to keep walking to the door.

"Wait." All attention turned to Mr. Delmas. "Until someone explains what is going on no one is leaving this room."

Surprisingly it was Jeremy's protest that sounded loudest amongst the chorus of voices. But with everyone yelling all at once it was still impossible to hear what Jeremy said. After a moment of arguing the nurse who had escorted Yumi back lost her patience and shouted. Her authoritative voice indeed cut through the clutter and after making it clear that she wouldn't tolerate any more fighting she stood with her hands folded across her chest while tapping her feet impatiently. She did have better things to do than babysit teenagers and a school principal after all.

Jeremy sighed and made an executive decision. "I'll explain what happened if you let Aelita go see Odd." It was quite clear that he had reservations about it and he glanced apologetically at the entire group.

Aelita glared at Jeremy for a split second before realizing that they still had the return to the past card to play if things went seriously wrong. The thought gave her pause, hadn't they already gone seriously wrong? But they had all been in worse situations and Jeremy seemed to have a plan. Leaving things to him, she accepted his offer and nodded her ascent while softening her expression.

Yumi and Ulrich Looked at both Jeremy and Aelita before finally acquiescing to Jeremy's suggestion. Neither really wanted to talk about what had happened that day much less twist it into something else for the principal. But they didn't seem to have much choice as their protest of _you can't do that to Aelita_ seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. Each of their consciences though, seemed willing to more fully accept Jeremy's plan and they both took solace in that.

Mr. Delmas watched Jeremy fidget nervously with his hands for a few moments as Aelita walked away with the nurse. As he looked up to Mr. Delmas he regretted making the offer to tell the man what had happened. But he didn't have a choice now and his own conscience seemed to be telling him that this was best even as logic told him that this could only end one way: badly. Deciding to just get it over with quickly, he sucked in a deep breath and started off, saying "Odd decided that Ulrich and Yumi needed a dramatic push to get their love out into the open. He lured them both to the factory and..."

Yumi saw Jeremy's discomfort with what he was about to say and moved until she was standing directly behind him. Hoping that she would reassure him she gave his shoulder a quick squeeze. Ulrich walked to stand beside Yumi and took her hand, hiding the gesture behind Jeremy's back.

Reassured that this was ok with both Yumi and Ulrich Jeremy continued though his anxiety seemed to make his voice smaller than normal. "He got them to come to the factory one at a time and drugged them both. Then he locked them in one of the factory's rooms and..." Jeremy hesitated as he considered how to rephrase what had really happened. Yumi's whispered "go on" forced him to continue even though he was unsure of the correctness of his analogy. "Odd expected them to have sex before he would release them."

Mr. Delmas recoiled visibly as the shock of that revelation hit hard. Anger seemed to harden the man's face as outrage coursed through him. Yumi and Ulrich stepped around Jeremy to put themselves protectively in front of the boy. Sissi watched with abject disbelief as she considered the possibility that what she had been unable to finish just over a week ago could have really given her Ulrich.

"We didn't have sex." Yumi declared forcefully. "Jeremy and Aelita intervened before that could happen." Yumi's angered expression didn't change despite the fact that she briefly felt funny about calling the pair's marathon and life saving programming session an intervention. "They helped us recover from the effect of the drugs and made us realize that neither of us could take advantage of the other that way." She turned her head back to steal a glance at Jeremy. "But they did take advantage of our shocked state after the drugs wore off to get us talking and now." Yumi blushed, "we're a couple."

Sissi looked wide eyed at the couple before turning away, feeling fresh remorse over her failed attempt to seduce Ulrich and new shame over thinking that Ulrich would have handled Yumi any differently than he had her. She flashed a look at Jeremy that she hoped he would understand as gratitude, her emotions were a little to jumbled to be absolutely certain. But she really was grateful that both he and Aelita had been able to intervene, just as Yumi felt she didn't deserve being gawked at while giving up on Ulrich, neither Yumi nor Ulrich deserved to have to deal with what Odd had wanted to force.

Mr. Delmas stared at the threesome standing directly in front of him as he gauged their sincerity and truthfulness. Ultimately, he decided that the three teenagers were telling the truth. But that didn't ease the trouble in his mind. It was great that neither Yumi nor Ulrich would have to deal with the trauma that would have come from what was essentially rape. But at the same time there was Odd, for whom he now had grounds for an immediate expulsion and quite possibly criminal charges as well.

Yet even the two teens he had assaulted seemed intent on forgiving the boy. Of course the possibility of him dying probably affected their emotional state but as much as that was the case, it didn't seem to be the case here. He was quite certain they were all willing to forgive and forget. But the real question was could he? He looked down at his daughter and contemplated having someone who would be willing to mistreat his very best friends that way living in the same building as her. The answer was immediately obvious.

Aelita walked into the room that Odd was occupying and despite her best efforts the first thing she noticed was his legs. They were covered in a blanket and still didn't quite look right. As her gaze traveled up his body she noticed the IV tubes that were slowly dripping substances through his arm and directly into his bloodstream. His face looked somewhat peaceful and she gave silent thanks she didn't have to see him in agony. She wasn't sure she could handle it.

Odd noted her approach with a pleasantly surprised expression. He could see that like Yumi she was on the verge of crying. He figured that unlike Yumi she would cry openly. Of all the times he'd wanted her to cry on his shoulder he didn't want that this time. She would be crying over him, what he had done to himself and over the still too fresh memories of her father's sacrifice. As much as it had seemed to be irrelevant when he had jumped, he was starting to see how much impact his death would have and he wasn't liking it at all.

Aelita didn't say a single word as she made her way towards Odd's bed. She forced herself to stop staring at his injured legs and watch his face as she walked steadily closer. Rage boiled inside her as she considered what he'd put everyone, including himself, through. When she stopped at his bedside she looked into his eyes and yelled "WHY DID YOU DO THAT!" The release of the anger drained her but left the fear and sorrow intact. While Odd remained stunned for just a moment she buried her head into his shoulder and cried. Through her sobs she forced out, "don't you ever scare me like that again."

Odd slowly maneuvered his arm until he was able to put it around Aelita's neck in an effort to console and comfort her. Truth was, he had been startled by the first outburst and now found himself confused by the girl's apparent mood swing. The shout had left no question of her anger yet now she was lost in despair. "Shhhh." Aelita turned her head slightly towards him. "I'm sorry... I thought."

"You thought it was for the best." Aelita finished his sentence while almost choking on the words. "We were wrong."

Odd tilted his head and the quizzical expression betrayed his lack of understanding. Through actions and sometimes words it had been made clear how little he mattered, how much of a burden he was and how unwanted his presence was. "How?"

"We let ourselves forget how much we loved you." Shame colored Aelita's voice. "We..." Aelita shook her head as she struggled for words. After a few moments of silence she continued and some of the anger returned. "What you did was reckless and stupid and dangerous and..." The anger collapsed, leaving shame and sadness to occupy her voice alone. "Apparently necessary. We should have all been more understanding."

"Aelita..." Odd stopped, uncertain what to say.

"We were all wrong." Aelita supplied into Odd's silence.

"It wasn't just you guys... I just knew what had to happen and I didn't see any other way and..."

"We weren't willing to help your plan." Aelita supplied regretfully. "I was so focused on what Ulrich had done wrong and how much it had hurt Yumi that I..." She lifted her head off of Odd's shoulder. "I didn't help." She turned away from him. "I didn't even let Jeremy try to help... I."

"Aelita?" Odd watched as she turned around to face him again and he spoke quickly to prevent her from heaping any more blame on herself. "You're here now, and so, I presume, is the rest of our group. That's what matters. We can get through this together."

Aelita's face brightened, "You mean that? You'll forgive us for making you feel like you didn't deserve to live?"

Odd offered a slightly lopsided smile, "as long as you'll forgive me for drugging and nearly killing Yumi and Ulrich."

"Deal." Aelita answered happily. Quickly she leaned over Odd's bed and lightly kissed his cheek before leaving. As she made the walk back to the waiting room she couldn't help but feel lighter, as though a huge weight was off of her shoulders. Her family could be healed and she'd help repair the damage done. She yawned, the energy of her happiness fading as the evening and rapid changes in mood took their toll on her body. She looked forward to bed, hopefully snuggled in with Jeremy, and the new day of healing that tomorrow would bring.

Odd looked at the doorway and the empty hallway beyond with a sense of longing. He wanted Aelita back, wanted her head pressed into his shoulder and her tears wetting his hospital gown. He wanted Yumi back, and wanted to see Ulrich and Jeremy too. But as much as he wanted to see his friends all together again he knew that wasn't going to happen tonight. Still, Yumi and Aelita's visits helped reassure him that things would get better. Even if it would still be a while before he was going to be up and around at least he wouldn't be alone during his recovery.


	13. We need to undo this mess

**A/N:** Once again, thank you to Moonlitxangel for being my beta reader.

CW: So my review made you a bit hyper huh? Well that feeling is mutual, I do look forward to getting reviews from you as well.

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**Kadic Hospital, ER waiting room:** Sissi looked up at her father and could read the very serious and grim expression on his face. She could guess what he was thinking and the reality unsettled her. Odd wasn't as safe as his friends thought he was. Not while her father considered him a threat to her or any of the other students anyway. But what could she do? Nothing would convince her father that Odd was no longer a threat. Not after hearing that Odd had lured and drugged two of his best friends.

Aelita entered the waiting room tired, but happy, as she beamed a smile that should have lit up the room. But Mr. Delmas looked like a raging storm and Jeremy was trembling with fear. Yumi and Ulrich looked like they were caught in something that was somehow both pleasant and painful at the same time. Sissi stood stone still in apparent shock and thoughtfulness. Mr. Delmas turned on her and she had hardly a second to brace herself before her happiness evaporated under the laser focus of the principal's gaze and his single question: "Did Odd drug Yumi and Ulrich with the intent of forcing them into a sexual relationship?" She staggered back under the barely concealed fury of the question.

In retrospect, her racing mind told her over the sound of her own pounding heart, you should have known that this moment was coming. She considered denying it since that's not exactly what had happened. But he'd only demand to know what did. The truth was untenable since it was straight out of science fiction that happened to be science fact. Affirming it seemed to be equally bad as she'd never seen the man so enraged. Not that she didn't understand the sentiment. But...

"**Young lady,** I asked you a question." Aelita couldn't help it and cringed as she was yelled at the by principal.

Jeremy answered the principal's demand with a furious tone of his own. "I told you what happened. Yumi and Ulrich confirmed it. Leave. Aelita. Alone." Yumi and Ulrich stepped forward to back him up, all the emotion making them edgy and willing to take it out on even an authority figure in defense of their own.

"STOP!" Sissi cried out at the top of her lungs. "What is wrong with all of you? How is this helping?"

Five pairs of very surprised eyes turned their collective attention on her. Almost shrinking back at the intensity of everybody's look she steeled herself, forcing herself to return each person's gaze. "You are all upset," she said in an angry but hopefully understanding tone. "But don't take it out on each other this way, you saw how it helped Odd."

The faces of the Lyoko warriors all dropped and they slowly gathered together. But principal Delmas wasn't swayed by his daughter's words. He turned towards her and barely stopped himself from yelling at her, demanding to know how she could defend someone like Odd. Instead, he managed to ask her but there was no way to hide the disappointment over having his daughter speak for a troubled boy who was obviously a clear and future, if not present, danger to his students. "Elizabeth, surely you understand why I have no choice but to refer this to the disciplinary committee along with a recommendation of expulsion."

"NO! You can't do that, not after we almost lost him." Aelita cried out, her voice showing that she was slipping back into despair.

Jeremy gently pulled her against him, hugging her supportively. Yumi and Ulrich stood at their side, each placing a hand on the couple's shoulder to show their support. Sissi looked between her father and the four teens as she struggled with the choice she feared she was going to have to make. She didn't want Odd gone and the intensity of that feeling surprised her. She looked between her father's harsh glare and the equally defiant foursome standing a short distance away. She couldn't go against family but wanted the kind of friendship that allowed the four students to stand ready to fight for their own no matter the odds. Looking sadly up at her father, and with her choice far from made, Sissi finally found her voice. It was low and pleading as she said "Odd nearly killed himself to prove how sorry he was for what happened. Isn't that enough?"

Her father looked at her and shook his head sadly, "no... not where you and the rest of my students are concerned." His frown deepened as he watched her struggle with something and wondered again just how she could be sticking up for the boy.

Odd's fate seemingly sealed Jeremy once again took command of his troops. In a whisper he handed out orders: "Yumi, tell Ulrich where Odd's room is and when you're done we'll all bolt. Ulrich head for Odd's room, tell him I'm sorry it had to come to this and ask him not to repeat that stunt today. Yumi, Aelita and I will head for the factory. Everyone take a separate route and the first person to the lab triggers a return trip."

Aelita looked at the principal's daughter, "what about Sissi?"

"We don't know if there'll be time to scan her and if she changes her mind afterwards she can get us all caught," Jeremy answered. Despite his response, it was clear that he wasn't as confident in that decision as his words suggested.

Aelita sighed and Yumi spoke up, "I say she comes with us. She's arguing for Odd, she's given up on Ulrich and helped him earlier."

Aelita nodded her agreement, leaving Jeremy to look pointedly at Ulrich. Ulrich looked in Sissi's direction for a moment and almost lost himself in memories, some shared with the girl in question and others that were his alone. "I'm with Yumi." There wasn't as much confidence in his voice as he would have liked but he'd answered.

"Sissi?" Aelita's voice startled her and she looked towards the group. "Come here."

Sissi obeyed and was quickly filled in on the slightly revised plan. She and Aelita would run to the factory where Aelita would explain everything and give her a chance to back out. Ulrich would head for Odd's room. Yumi and Jeremy would bolt from the hospital as a distraction. Her voice now shaking she looked around the circle of friends and realized they were about to let her in on something big and in return required her absolute loyalty. Still uncertain she needed to find out more and knew there was only one way to make that happen. She accepted the plan and felt a thrill as she considered that she might finally join the group she had admired and loathed from afar for so long.

Mr. Delmas bellowed at the five kids when they all lunged for the door, demanding that they return at once. His commands obviously fell on deaf ears so he ran into the hall after them only to see Ulrich head towards Odd's room while the rest went in the opposite direction and split up at each junction. Enraged he started after his daughter, unable to figure out how it was that such a good group of kids, Odd notwithstanding, could behave this way. It had to be a break from the tireless work and now the stress of watching one of their friends betray them then nearly die. He barked at a passing nurse to have the hospital locked down and to find the students. The nurse scrambled into action.

(*)

**Kadic Hospital, Main floor, room 128:** Ulrich dashed into Odd's room and rushed to his bedside, startling the boy. Very lightly panting from his sprint down the halls of the hospital he took only a second to catch his breath then said "I may not have much time but Mr. Delmas wants you expelled and."

"WHAT!" Odd shouted before Ulrich cut him off by clamping his hand over his mouth.

"Quiet." Ulrich whispered harshly. He removed his hand from Odd's mouth and looked regretfully at him. "Jeremy had to agree to tell Delmas what happened before he allowed Aelita to come see you. After hearing the story he wants you expelled. So Aelita and Sissi are heading to the factory to run a return to the past."

"What do you mean a return trip?" Odd whispered harshly. "How am I supposed to enjoy the attentions of all the sympathy laden girls at school if my legs aren't broken?"

"What are you talking about? You want to be stuck in a cast for a month?" Ulrich answered, his voice slightly raised in surprise. "You..." Ulrich cut himself off as Odd started to answer.

"No... But when Yumi was here she was gentle and sweet and..." He paused, deciding not to test Ulrich's jealousy by telling him how she kissed him on the cheek. "She promised that she'd make sure I got better. And after her visit a nurse dropped by and made sure I was ok and then Aelita came cried on my shoulder." His voice turned slightly wistful at that before reverting to normal as he continued. "Then a doctor came to let me know they'd reached my parents and obtained consent for my surgery and that I should carry around a marker for all the people who will want to sign my cast."

Ulrich nodded, now understanding Odd's point. While he was being wheeled around the campus, somewhat helpless and in pain he'd be a magnet for sympathy. The thought made Ulrich smile in spite of the disgust that came with thinking of how Odd would be using his self inflicted injury. "I see how you could consider that heaven. But it wouldn't have happened you know, as soon as it got around that this was self inflicted..."

"What's better to a girl then someone they can save?" Odd asked lightly before his voice turned harder and somewhat bitter. "Except that Delmas will make sure it's known that I drug girls who trust me now."

Ulrich shook his head, knowing Odd well enough to know that not all of that was directed outwards. "Look Odd, you messed up with that plan but it worked. Yumi's forgiven you, Aelita's forgiven you, Jeremy's forgiven you and so have I." Shaking his head he looked at the floor, regretting he couldn't have better defended his best friend. "We just couldn't convince the principal that it was a onetime thing."

"That I'd never do again." Odd finished with conviction. "Don't blame yourself, you were just as difficult to convince." Odd averted his eyes as he saw how much that statement hurt Ulrich. "No Ulrich, that's not what I meant I..."

"It's ok Odd, I know. I'm not exactly proud that I didn't fight harder for you before. You gave me the relationship with Yumi that I've always wanted... so thanks. I'm just sorry it had to come to this."

Odd injected some brightness into his voice, "Hey, it was a real thrill to try and go out this way and it was nice to think about being swarmed with sympathetic girls who wanted to make me feel better." Now smiling he added, "Besides, pranks are easier to pull with working legs."

Ulrich laughed, "maybe so..." Whatever else Ulrich was going to say was cut off as one of the hospital's security officers stepped into the room. He allowed a quick goodbye before escorting Ulrich back to face the principal.

(*)

**Kadic City, Near The Factory:** Investigators swarmed over the factory's island as Aelita and Sissi approached. Taking Sissi's hand Aelita yanked her back into the cover of the crowd that was gathering to find out what was going on. "We'll have to find the raft."

"Raft?" Sissiy whispered back incredulously.

"We have more than one way into the factory just in case." Aelita answered casually as she dragged her charge down the street and to an area where they could get down to the riverbank more easily and stealthily before leading her back to the bridge. She pointed out the raft and they silently launched it together. Each slosh of water or other sound made the pair of teens cringe and hold their collective breaths as they floated under the bridge. But the real worry were the times they had to leave the shelter of the road deck to dodge the pylons that supported it. The sense of vulnerability that came from being easily visible unnerved the two teens, making them act even more deliberately. Somehow they made it across undetected and breathed a sigh of relief as they beached the raft.

But they weren't done yet and Aelita led them around the perimeter of the factory and towards what looked like some sort of cellar entrance. The shadowed darkness combined with the general rundown look of the long abandoned place gave Sissi the creeps and she was glad that Aelita was leading her around with an air of confidence. But she couldn't shake of the unease of being here, nor the intense curiosity of why a girl like Aelita would know all the back ways into the decrepit building. Her questions were left unanswered for a while longer as Aelita stopped and pointed to what looked like an elevator shaft in the inky darkness, "that's our goal." Sissi gulped and hesitated as Aelita continued forward, wondering just what she had signed up for. "Are you coming?" Sissi looked at Aelita for a moment before following her.

When they finally arrived, covered in dust and grease from sneaking around, Sissi watched in fright and awe as Aelita stepped into the rundown looking elevator and motioned her to follow. Gulping hard, she stepped over the elevator's threshold and wondered again what it was she had gotten herself into. As if to put a point to her fears, the elevator lurched into motion with an unhealthy sound and her stomach rose as she descended. When it stopped her mind filled with panic at the thought of being stuck while Aelita calmly pulled the button cover off to reveal a hidden pad and typed in a four number sequence as though she did this sort of thing routinely. Jumping back at the crackling buzz of electricity flowing around the door she watched dumbstruck as the wheel in the center turned and the heavy doors parted.

Aelita walked through the door with an air of authority and as she stepped through her skin took on an odd greenish tint. Following the girl, Sissi realized that the large circular room Aelita had led her to was lit by some sort of old florescent lamps and the green glow of a large, multi paneled computer monitor. In the center of the room was a hole with a raised lip and floating above that hole was some sort of graphic. Aelita hopped into the large chair at the computer terminal and began expertly typing at the keyboard.

"What is this place?" Sissi asked, the wonder in her voice tainted with the fear she felt at being in such a strange and obviously secret environment.

(*)

**Kadic Academy:** William had had enough. Campus was abuzz with rumors of what may have happened and who it may have happened to. Wild theories circulated saying students had been kidnapped, or violently killed. Some simply assumed that all the activity reported at the old factory was a drug bust others just some sort of drill. The news, had anyone bothered to check it before opening their mouths, said a teenage boy had been injured at the abandoned factory and rushed to the hospital where he was being treated and was noted as being in stable condition. Not that it helped him figure out what had happened or which of the lyoko warriors was involved.

He knew they had to be involved because the factory was their place and further they were all missing and none were answering their cell phones. Worry invaded his mind as despite feeling like an outsider, he genuinely didn't want anything to happen to either Jeremy, Aelita, or Yumi. Ulrich, well that could actually work in his favor and Odd just didn't matter one way or the other. A pang of quilt rang through him, it wasn't that he wished either boy harm, they just hadn't been as friendly as Aelita or Jeremy.

Holding unto his cell phone he called Aelita once again and got her voice mail. He tried Yumi, Jeremy, Odd, Sissi and finally Ulrich one last time each but again got no farther than voice mail. Finally he decided to go see what was happening for himself. Moving with caution, he made his way to the secret passage on campus, relieved to find the door wasn't locked. He headed down the tunnel and into the sewers, walking along the disgusting sewage until he reached one particular ladder. He climbed up and pushed the manhole cover out of the way, emerging into the fresh air of the nearby forest and free of the campus. Now out of the uncomfortable humidity and stink of the sewers he took off in the direction of the hospital. Panting heavily as he arrived, he never noticed the black blur heading out of one exit until he collided with it in a violent collision. Growling at the indignity of his crash to the ground he yelled "Hey, why don't you watch where you're going?" As he tried to disentangle himself.

The fierce growl from the person he collided with sounded familiar and as he fell towards the ground a second time he placed the sound. "Yumi!"

"STOP!"

William looked at the two people emerging from the hospital and scrambled to his feet. Whatever they wanted, it couldn't be good if Yumi was running like that. Pointing in the wrong direction he shouted to the men "Black clothes, black haired asian woman?" The guard closest to him nodded. "She went that way." The officer nodded his thanks and both took off running. As soon as they'd turned their back William ran after Yumi who had taken off immediately after getting to her feet.

After a short chase that, to his already winded lungs and burning muscles felt too long he called out to "Yumi, you're not being followed. You can stop."

Yumi risked a glance over her shoulder and saw William. She considered just running away from him but then stopped herself. He had no idea what was happening and could be genuinely worried about Odd. She walked into the light from a nearby streetlamp, waiting as William came to a stop in front of her. He was out of breath and sweating despite the cold weather and she frowned, knowing how that was going to feel later. Shivering slightly from her still damp clothing she regarded William while he caught his breath enough to speak.

William looked at Yumi and immediately shrugged off his jacket, offering it to the shivering girl that still held so much of his interest. "You should take this, you're shivering."

Yumi shook her head no, "I'll be fine" she answered as cordially as she could. "What brings you out here?"

"I heard the news but they aren't saying much of anything. What's going on?"

Yumi looked at him and judged his sincerity, but it looked like he was nothing more than concerned for his friends. "Odd tried to commit suicide." Yumi answered in a slightly strained voice. "He's ok, just his legs are badly broken. But Delmas found out what happened, or a version of it anyway, and now wants Odd expelled. Since Sissi saved Odd's life without a second's thought her and Aelita went to the factory."

"And no one bothered to tell me." William exclaimed angrily.

Yumi pulled out her waterlogged cell phone. "Jeremy's the only one who's phone didn't get wet and the paramedics made sure his cell was off in the hospital."

Suitably chastised, William stepped closer to Yumi and when she didn't immediately bolt draped his jacket over her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get upset but I was worried and just expected to be included." He directed a pointed look at her then forced out "how is Ulrich holding up?"

There was no hiding the surprise in her face as she heard the question. Even though it was forced, the fact that he'd asked was remarkable. Normally he harbored such animosity towards his romantic rival that she'd expected to him to say something like _I hope Ulrich's not taking out his problems on you_ or _boy, I hope you didn't leave him alone with Sissi_." As well as can be expected given his best friend tried to kill himself and is now looking at expulsion."

William looked in the general direction of the factory, "maybe we should go to the factory, just make sure the guys chasing you didn't catch Aelita." Before they resumed walking though, Williams brow scrunched up in thought and he asked, "what did Odd do that warrants him getting expelled?" It wasn't exactly hard to see that something significant had happened, Odd had been enjoying some rotten treatment from the whole group though Yumi was by far the worst offender.

Yumi looked away from William, her expression hardening as she decided not to answer based on how upset that would likely make William. "Nothing you need to worry about," Yumi snapped.

"Yumi!" William said hotly before taking a breath and starting off a little more calmly, "Yumi, I know something happened..." He stopped as he briefly considered not saying anything but he needed to at least try. "Odd's been on the outside for the past few days and despite your obvious need for time and space, a need that I chose to respect by the way, you immediately turned around and started dating Ulrich." Noting the angry expression on her face he hurried up with an explanation. "And if you're happy than I am too." He frowned, he hadn't wanted to show all the pain he felt over her choice but couldn't hide it. "But something's wrong and I want to help... I also need to make sure you aren't somehow being forced to date Ulrich."

"William, do you really think I'd allow myself to be forced into anything?" She demanded, her earlier sympathy for his feelings dissolving at the mention of being forced into a relationship.

"If you thought it was for the greater good of the group then YES, I think you would. But you wouldn't be happy about it and the way you've treated Odd says you're. Not. Happy!" William suddenly realized he was shouting as he felt the eyes of a few people watch them. For some reason a sizeable crowd seemed to be gathering ahead. Lowering his voice, he added "look, Yumi..."

Yumi cut him off, her voice having a slight growl to it, "I'm happy with Ulrich so drop it."

William backed up a step and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender, "okay, okay, I get it..." He sighed sadly, "when you told me you needed your space, why not just tell me you had made your decision? Why leave me with some hope..." He stopped himself, not wanting to tempt her anger again.

Yumi tore her eyes away from the crowd gathering at the factory and looked in Williams direction. Despite the darkness of the evening he wasn't faking the hurt or disappointment and it made her feel guilty over her answer the last time they'd argued. But it was the truth at the time and she had been prepared to forgo the attentions of both suitors. Then Odd came up with his stupid plan, and Ulrich decided to finally be honest with her. In sharing their issues they had drawn closer and the trust built was cementing their relationship.

(*)

**Hospital, ER Family Waiting Room:** Ulrich heard the principal scream at Jeremy through the closed door and felt sorry for the young genius. This was a situation that nothing had really prepared him for and hearing the way the principal was demanding answers as to where everyone had went did nothing for his mood. Mr. Delmas simply did not understand either the situation or the resources at hand and there was nothing Jeremy could say to change that. Mentally bracing himself he went into the room. As he entered the principal, clearly exasperated, decided to change tact.

Mr. Delmas turned away from Jeremy, glared harshly at Ulrich then directed him to sit next to Jeremy. Once both students were sitting down the principal addressed Jeremy while looking at Ulrich. "Jeremy, I know you have all been working hard to ensure Ulrich's academic success and his continued relationship with Yumi. But consider this, Ulrich's father will find out about this and when he hears what Odd's done there will be only one response: Ulrich goes or Odd goes. Surely you don't want all your hard work to be in vain over someone who hasn't even bothered to put in the kind of effort the rest of your friends have. And think how you would feel if something like this happened again to another student, what it would be like to see someone else put into Yumi's position. Would the next girl be as lucky as Yumi was to have someone just swoop in and save her in the nick of time?"

Jeremy looked down at the floor, clearly affected by the principals words. Mr. Delmas decided to press his advantage, "I'm not saying that anyone should give up on Odd, only that if he's willing to do something like this then he needs help... The kind of help my school just isn't equipped to give. Tell me where your friends went and what they think they can do and I'll see to it that none of them are punished and that Odd gets the kind of counseling he needs... Both for his obvious lack of respect for a woman and his attempted suicide. The kind of help that neither you, his cousin, nor his friends can provide even if you do somehow get him out of this hospital and back to Kadic."

Without pulling his eyes away from his shoes, Jeremy sighed. Whatever the principal thought was impossible they would be doing any time. But the last words haunted him in the silence. If Odd really did need professional help, his band of friends couldn't offer it. He wished he had been able to see Odd for himself, to get some sort of read on his condition and mental state. That would have made this whole thing so much easier. He hoped that if Yumi, Aelita or Ulrich had seen any sign of a larger problem they would have told someone. But he knew that's not how things worked, not after all they'd been through together.

Ulrich glanced sideways at Jeremy, watching him struggle with some sort of dilemma. He could guess what it was and his heart went out to their leader. He would ultimately take full responsibility for what happened with his group no matter the situation. That sense had sometimes provided the group with its survival but had also led to much strife. Apparently the hope that such problems were behind them wasn't going to become the reality. But there was nothing to do but remain silent even as the principal left the room muttering about calling their parents. Remain silent and hope for the all consuming white dome to put things right again.

(*)

**Factory, Computer lab:** Aelita turned towards Sissi, satisfied that the lab security cameras showed they hadn't been followed, and her voice took on a sad tone with an undercurrent of loss. "This was my father's lab and-" Her voice showed a hint of bitterness, "his great project." She seemed to recover quickly and continued to explain about Lyoko, XANA, the fight Jeremy had undertaken along with Yumi, Ulrich and Odd to free her and lastly her father's final sacrifice to free the world from XANA.

Sissi stood in stunned wonder as so much of the group's weirdness clicked into place. There was no mistaking the strength of their bonds nor the coordination behind their actions. And Jeremy's position of leadership now made perfect sense. What didn't was why she was being told all of this. When Aelita ran the return to the past program all of it would disappear unless... Realization of what she was really being trusted with hit her with almost enough force to knock her out. If she agreed she would have to defend this secret with her life lest it end Aelita's and everyone else's. If she agreed she would become part of Aelita's family. If she didn't... "What happens after the return trip if I say no?"

Aelita sighed, slightly irritated at having to explain again. "You won't remember..." Cutting herself off as she figured out what Sissi was asking, she got off the chair and put both of her hands on Sissi's shoulders. Her voice had a much more gentle and understanding tone when she started speaking again. "We'll still know that you selflessly went in to save Odd and defended all of us to your father." She shook her head sadly, "but you won't... If the past is any indication you won't understand why we would be willing to treat you with respect and reverence you've earned and assume it's some sort of trick."

Sissi looked into the green eyes of Aelita and contemplated her offer and response. She was coming to accept that she didn't want to be the mean, shallow person she wasn't but acted as. This was her chance but she was frightened as well. If she screwed up it could bring down serious consequences that she wasn't sure she'd be able to live with. "I... I can't Aelita... I want to because... But if."

"It's not an easy road." Aelita replied to her unfinished statement of doubt, "and I understand. But I've seen you act courageously before even though you don't remember. I wouldn't be offering if I didn't trust that you could manage. And Sissi, we've all been to the point of giving up at one time or another. But we support each other like family, lending our strength to those who need it. It's how we survived our fight and how we'll live our lives from now on. If you accept we'll always be there for you... But we'll also expect that you'll be there for us too. And if you don't, we'll all understand and no one will think any less of you. It's not something that can be decided lightly and yes or no, I'm glad you're not."

Elizabeth regarded Aelita as the pink haired girl turned her attention back towards the computer terminal. She watched as Aelita hopped up into the oversized chair and wondered what it would be like to lose her own father that way. To only have half remembered fragments of a life spent in hiding. Guilt over the way she'd treated and thought of Aelita threatened to overwhelm her and she forced it back while Aelita brought up a couple of programs then turned back towards her. The next emotion was admiration, how much all of them had gone through to get here. And Sissi know she wasn't worthy of being in that company. While they had fought and sacrificed to save a world that would never know the danger it was in she had acted as the spoiled brat of the school. To be in their circle would be a belittlement of all they'd done and yet she still did not want to say no to the offer. Seconds stretched into minutes as the debate raged in her mind, possibilities both good and bad playing out behind the sound of Aelita's typing. It's end was signaled by a throat clear and the sound of her voice, hesitant and low, filling the chamber. "Aelita? I've made my decision."

(*)

**Kadic City, Near The Factory:** "Yumi?" William asked sounding concerned.

Pulling out of her thoughts she whispered, "I meant that at the time I said it... But circumstances changed and... I understand what's happened between Ulrich and I and that we both know how to make our relationship work now."

William frowned, that was hardly the answer he had hoped for. In fact, it wasn't really an answer at all. Taking in a deep breath he decided to try one last time. "Are you sure? Ulrich won't hesitate to show you his love? Won't hesitate to tell you how beautiful you are and how lucky he is to have you near him? He'll treat you with the trust and respect you deserve? He's really figured all that out in a day, because of one bad event?"

"No!" Yumi snapped. "He figured it out in one long, painful talk. And even if he's not as perfect as you obviously _think_ you are we'll both be happy with each other."

"Or you'll both fight in a few days and go back to being miserable." William shot back, angered at both the rejection and the insult.

"So what's your alternative, date you?" Yumi shouted back. "The guy who let XANA capture him on his very first trip to Lyoko? You keep saying that you love me... Are you going to take that more seriously than the fate of the world or will I just be another game where the consequences don't matter as long as you have some fun."

William visibly deflated and turned away, walking slowly down the street. That had been a low blow and even though he knew he had been taking a chance and could provoke Yumi's ire, he hadn't been prepared for that.

"William... Wait." Yumi called after him, sounding contrite. "William!"

He stopped and turned to face her. Pain poured out of his voice as he yelled, "Don't... Just leave me alone... When Ulrich hurts you next time don't expect to come to me to make him jealous and you feel better."

"William?" Yumi's voice reached out, soft and sorrowful. "I didn't mean it that way... I... You're right in that I used you for that purpose in the past." Tears threatened to form in her eyes as she considered the consequences she was now seeing. "I'm sorry that it isn't you I want and I'm sorry about hitting you with your time as XANA's slave." Her tone hardened slightly, "But you need to understand that who I love is my choice, and I've made it... Ulrich is the one I want."

William considered simply turning away and walking off, leaving her to worry about him and maybe make her feelings for him stronger. Instead he turned towards her and looked into her eyes, seeing the determination that said she wasn't changing her mind. Forcing the smallest of smiles to his lips despite feeling about as far away from smiling as he could he answered "I understand... But I meant what I said, you can't use me as a tool to hurt Ulrich anymore."

Yumi exhaled loudly then nodded, "and you can't pursue me anymore... No trying to make Ulrich jealous." She extended her hand hesitantly, intent on shaking on their deal.

At the factory a white column of light burst out of the floor and pierced the night sky like a knife. The base of the column slowly expanded, filling the factory with a solid bubble that advanced on their position. Gasps went up from the crowd and a few tried to scatter, running away from the strange opaque, bright white object that made its way towards them, swallowing everything in its path. William hesitantly reached out and grasped Yumi's outstretched hand, giving it a firm shake before the bubble washed over them.

* * *

**CW: **I see your point on the Christmas prompts and don't blame you there, but they were fun to read. I hope it was a fun sort of busy. When you get L4D perhaps I can use a different alias and we can share a game or two. Only if it won't get you into trouble.

Oh, next time you want XAA to play with me can you leave one of XAA's toys with me?


	14. Recovery

A/N: Thank you to those who have reviewed, subscribed, and added this story to their favorites. I think that is long overdue.

Also thanks to Moonlitxangel for beta reading again.

* * *

**Kadic Academy, Dorm building, Monday 9:00 PM:** Elizabeth 'Sissi' Delmas sat awkwardly in front of her vanity and stared at the reflection that told her everything Aelita had said was true. She should be staring into a multi-monitor computer terminal in the basement of an abandoned factory covered in dust and grime and grease from sneaking around though it. It was supposed to be Wednesday, very early in the morning instead of nighttime on Monday.

Yet she was here, her body wanting to be tense with fear and cringing from the white thing that had consumed her. She looked at her shoulder, still imagining the feel of Aelita's reassuring hand that she knew she should still feel traces of but didn't. She cautiously reached for her head as her body and mind came back into sync, her own hair feeling soft and dry. In the mirror she could see her pajamas piled neatly on the bed. Sitting in front of her were the tools she used to remove her makeup. A knock at the door startled her and she bolted up then out of the chair and to her bed. "Just a minute" she called out, unable to recall if she'd locked her door a bit more than twenty-four hours ago.

Quickly dressing herself in her pajamas she walked to the door, "who is it?" She discreetly tested the doorknob, relieved to find she had indeed locked the door.

"Aelita... I came to make sure you were ok."

Sissi smiled slightly, welcoming the feeling of being cared for yet finding some amount of resentment that Aelita felt she might need to be checked on. She unlocked the door and stepped back as she pulled it open. "Oh, well I'm fine... Should you check on Odd?"

Aelita nodding and responded in a kind, "good, and yeah, that's my next stop. You're welcome to come." She looked Sissi over and noted the embarrassment then realized that Sissi was in the middle of removing her makeup. "You can come down when you're done with your makeup if you'd prefer." Sissi nodded in response and Aelita turned to leave the room. She stopped abruptly and turned her head back towards her new family member, "you're welcome to sit with us at breakfast tomorrow."

After the pink haired girl left her room, Sissi shut the door and suppressed a squeal of happiness as being beneath her. But there was no hiding the smile she wore at Aelita's invitation. Though it was so far from the 'in' crowd of the school sitting at their table offered the promise of acceptance and friendship that she hadn't found anywhere. Her smile faded, it would also mean separation from Herve and Nicholas. She frowned slightly, it would also erode her power in the school's social circles. Aelita would probably tell her not to worry about her social status because it wouldn't give the happiness she could find in real friendship. However, it had been the defining point of her life for so long that giving it up seemed impossibly difficult.

(())

Ulrich watched as Odd tested out his legs, unnecessarily verifying that the return trip had fully healed them, with a smile of amusement. He watched the usually hyperactive boy pick up Kiwi and put him on the bed before crawling in under the covers. A curious look was returned with a devious smile and Ulrich shook his head, "whatever it is it isn't a good idea Odd."

Odd looked up at Ulrich, "you don't even know what I'm planning."

"I know you well enough to know that whatever kind of prank you've got planned isn't a good idea." Ulrich answered with a slight smirk. "Let everyone be glad you're ok and enjoy the attention."

Odd shook his head, "how else will I prove I'm really ok if I don't pull one of my patented pranks?"

Ulrich shook his head with resignation, "I'm not saving you if this goes bad."

Odd smiled confidently, "sure you will good buddy, I know you too well." Ulrich simply groaned in response.

Only a few minutes later a knock at the door signaled visitors and Ulrich growled as Odd called loudly for him to open the door. Outside the door, Aelita and Jeremy exchanged worried glances and Jeremy began to sink into thought as he tried to figure out if something could have gone wrong during the return trip. But aside from the time XANA used it to trap Ulrich, Odd and Yumi in a simulation bubble there had never been a problem. Aelita meanwhile tapped Jeremy on the shoulder, less inclined to believe a technical glitch was responsible and thinking she knew what it was instead, she winked at him and whispered "bet he's trying to trick us."

Jeremy blinked a couple of times as Ulrich answered the door then nodded, apparently recovering from whatever terrible scenarios his mind was creating. He placed a finger to his lips to prevent Ulrich from ruining whatever it was that Aelita was going to do and followed her in. Odd flashed a grateful look to Ulrich then moaned as if he were in pain, scrunching up his face to complete the illusion. Jeremy looked at the boy as Aelita approached him with a concerned expression and heard her ask "Odd! What's wrong" with a convincing level of urgency.

Odd groaned and shifted in bed using only his upper body. Aelita approached him with a grave look that seemed a bit off. But he paid that point no mind and struggled to sit up, smiling as Aelita's hand stopped him and she gently asked him what was wrong again. Thinking that he had both her and Jeremy now he gestured to his legs, "I think something is still wrong."

Jeremy looked at Aelita then to Odd, "maybe I should have a look." He walked up beside Aelita and grabbed Odd's blankets after she nodded to him and cautiously pulled them off of Odd's legs. Aelita watched him grimace then suck in a breath as Jeremy did that and for a moment she considered the possibility that he really was still hurt. But Jeremy looked him over and saw no evidence of any sort of damage, has assessment conveyed with a quick glance. Aelita looked Odd in the eyes and found no evidence of tears which she had learned early on were a sign of more than just sadness. She turned her gaze to Odd's legs and moved her hand hesitantly towards them.

Odd readied himself to scream out in agony as Aelita approached. It was actually part instinct as only moments ago he was on painkillers and looking at surgery to reassemble the shattered bone. He felt her hand make contact with his skin just above the knee and couldn't scream. Instead he laughed wildly as Aelita squeezed that area then relaxed her fingers for a second then started again. Jeremy shook his head and Aelita shot him a glance which he interrupted as a request for help. He joined in, pinning Odd's legs to the bed and doing the same thing Aelita was to the knee she didn't have a hold on. Ulrich restrained Odd's hands, leaving him to the mercy of the two geniuses. "Told you not to try a prank," Ulrich said through his own laughter.

Sissi hurried down the hall as she approached Ulrich and Odd's room. The sound of laughter and what might be pleas to stop were spilling out into the hallway and she was anxious to see what was going on. She pushed rapidly through the partly closed door and stopped short at the sight: Odd, in his Kiwi emblazoned shirt and orange sleeping shorts was writhing on his bed, gasping for breath and laughing as Jeremy sat across his legs while he and Aelita were doing something to his knees. At the head of the bed Ulrich was leaned over Odd and holding his wrists, presumably to prevent retaliation as the blond and pink haired teens tickled him.

Jeremy looked up at Odd's face and let go of his knee, putting his hand over Aelita's to let her know it was time to stop. Odd looked like he was hitting the point where laughter becomes both painful and dangerous and though it was years ago, he could still remember what that point felt like and how much worse it got as you went beyond it. Aelita looked between him and Odd then relinquished her hold on Odd's knee before slowly backing away to give Jeremy space to move off the bed. Ulrich waited until his two friends were clear of Odd, noting that Jeremy had to fend off a few kicks from the boy, then released Odd's hands and moved quickly out of Odd's reach.

Sissi walked farther into the room, disappointed that she had missed out on tickling Odd and wondering if that was some kind of normal thing or what. She watched as Odd lay on the bed, tears streaking down his cheeks while he caught his breath. He scowled at each of his attackers and Sissi walked over to him, turning a curious look on the threesome that had been attacking Odd, "What did he do to deserve that?"

Aelita smiled lightly, "he wanted to make us think his legs hadn't been repaired by the return trip."

Whatever Odd might have tried to answer with disappeared into shock and Jeremy answered the unspoken question. "When you jumped Sissi was the one who rescued you before you could drown. We gave her the choice to join us and apparently she agreed." He gave her a knowing smile, "speaking of which, I hope your first experience with the scanners wasn't too bad." He frowned but understood as Sissi's expression darkened at the memory.

Her experience hadn't exactly been pleasant, in fact she wondered if she would have nightmares about the claustrophobic metal cylinder and the perfectly dark environment it created when the doors hissed closed. The ring of light starting at her feet and working its way upwards, recording her stained clothes and messy hair along with whatever else it imaged. The invasive feeling of having her body recorded atom for atom as Aelita had described and the fear of wondering what could happen if the information got out. Aelita's assurance of safety and privacy almost wasn't enough to convince her to step into the thing.

Odd, having recovered enough to speak and anxious to get some revenge spoke up, interrupting Sissi's thoughtful pause. "You should've seen Einstein here for his first trip to Lyoko... I bet he shit in his pants when the door slid shut."

Jeremy tried and failed to put on a brave face as he answered, "It wasn't the scan that bothered me, it was that I'd fought with Aelita and was scared she wouldn't want me in Lyoko because she was mad."

"Uh huh," Ulrich chuckled, "you were terrified and almost backed out but we wouldn't let you."

Sissi looked sympathetically at Jeremy as Aelita tried to defend him. "But he did step into that scanner and get virtualized." Her voice sounded supportive at first but she finished with a very warm, soft tone as she recalled the time spent linked to Jeremy's mind. He obviously recalled that as well, for he smiled at the memory. Quirking an eyebrow Sissi asked the obvious question, "What happened on Lyoko?"

Odd blurted out an answer before anyone else could speak saying, "they had mind sex." He laughed at his own teasing tone and the reactions he got. Jeremy and Aelita blushed over the rather crude description of what had actually happened. Ulrich turned a disgusted look on Odd while Sissi stood for a moment in shock before yelping "What!"

"I got caught in some sort of void because Yumi made an error in the transfer procedure. Aelita was able to contact me but in the process our minds linked, allowing us to share each other's thoughts and emotions."

"It was an experience that I think we'll both remember fondly for the rest of our lives..." Aelita chuckled, "even if the transfer process was a little rough on Jeremy."

"A little?" Jeremy questioned the room, "you guys call nearly getting deleted a little rough?"

"Relax Jeremy," Aelita said as she gently touched his arm, "Odd's just trying to have a little fun at your expense." She turned her attention to Odd and quickly looked him over one last time as the energy of their earlier fun faded and her tiredness from everything came back with a vengeance. "Odd? Are you going to be all right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine... No more jumps off of factory roofs, but the sci..." Odd cut himself off as everyone frowned and glared at him." Ok, ok, ok. I'm fine and no more attempts at suicide." As he looked around the assembled group he became serious for a moment. "Look guys, I really didn't mean to hurt everyone like I did. I needed some excitement and figured that if it killed me it wouldn't matter because you'd all be better off without me. I still... I'm sorry you all had to go through that."

Jeremy looked at Odd, friend and sometime enemy, with compassion and a measure of doubt. What principal Delmas said on the erased day still haunted some of his thoughts. Sincere as Odd sounded, he still wondered about the boy. Part of him worried that Odd was faking just to have everyone off his back. Another part wondered if he'd try to take advantage of the group's sympathy. Still another was concerned that Odd really did need professional help just as the principal recommended. Making matters worse was he knew almost nothing about people. He'd been getting better thanks to Aelita but still, it wasn't enough to get a really good assessment of Odd's condition in such a short time. Aelita would tell him to stop, talk to Odd and go with his feelings. Yumi would probably give him the same advice were she here. He looked up at Odd, having momentarily changed focus to his feet as he felt some quilt over thinking badly of his troubled friend.

Ulrich's phone rang just as Jeremy opened his mouth to tell Odd that he wanted to talk to him and Aelita, after hearing that it was Yumi, tugged on his arm to indicate that it was time to go. While Ulrich answered the seemingly obligatory questions about Odd's condition, Aelita wished Odd a warm goodnight and walked slowly enough to allow Jeremy to do the same. Sissi looked longingly and a little jealously at Ulrich then bid both him and Odd goodnight before following Jeremy and Aelita out the door and pulling it shut. Jeremy looked back at the closed door then shook it off, it wasn't like he had a good idea of how to talk to Odd yet anyway and there would be plenty of time tomorrow. Aelita glanced worriedly at Jeremy and Sissi walked a few steps behind as they all made their way down the hall.

Sissi, wondering if Jeremy and Aelita were paying any attention to the outside world, called out to William as he approached. The Einstein couple looked up as one and offered a cordial greeting to WIlliam then flashed grateful smiles to Sissi after stopping near him. "Odd's just fine... he even tried to prank us." Aelita answered the questioning look in a friendly manor. "Yumi called Ulrich to check on Odd and they're probably still talking," she added uncertainly.

William smiled at her, "thanks for the warning." He turned and started walking back towards his room.

"You aren't going to check on him?" Sissi asked a moment before realizing that William had decided not to for the same reason she had decided not to stay around and listen to Ulrich while he talked with Yumi. Looking between Jeremy, Aelita and William, Sissi finally settled on looking at Jeremy while he called out a good night to William. Once he had finished, she decided to ask him a question that had been bugging her: "What are the rules for using a return to the past?"

Aelita immediately hushed her and the trio moved to Jeremy's room where they could discuss that in private. "As infrequently as possible," Jeremy answered as Sissi sat down at his desk while he and Aelita sat side by side on the bed. "The return to the past program increases the supercomputer's power each time it's used and there are effects on all of us as well."

Aelita continued, seeing Sissi's concerned expression. "We're not sure if it's an actual, physical side effect of the process or just sleep deprivation to be honest. At the moment we think it's the latter, scans of all of us haven't revealed any sort of defect arising from either the return trips or the virtualization process." Knowing what Jeremy might add to that, Aelita silenced him with a look then continued. "There's a lot about Lyoko and our fight that you don't know, although I did give you an overview before you were scanned." Sissi nodded, remembering that. "And you'll have plenty of time to learn about it. But even though we're done fighting XANA, Lyoko is still a secret that my... that all our lives depend on keeping. My mom was killed over it and my dad locked us away rather than let the technology get out. Do you understand that?"

Sissi looked at the hardened expression on Aelita's face and saw a similar one on Jeremy's. Her little slip in the hallway hadn't been appreciated and she could see that clearly. Second guessing her decision once again, she gulped and looked away. "I'm sorry," she said weakly.

"It's alright Sissi," Jeremy answered, "just try to keep in mind the stakes. We don't mind explaining things but it _has_ to be in secret."

Sissi nodded and turned her face up to meet Aelita's eyes. "I understand." She bid the two a goodnight and left the room, closing the door to give the couple whatever privacy it would afford. As she headed down the hall to a stairwell she looked towards William's door and wondered how much different she was from him. He was largely outside the group despite being included. He had lost the one he loved to a rival. He didn't fit in, in much the same way that she didn't.

(())

**Kadic Academy, Cafeteria, Sunday 9:00 AM:** Elizabeth yawned as she walked in and got into the food line. For it being so early, the cafeteria was crowded though it really wasn't that big of a surprise today. Someone had accidently shorted some electrical lines and the result was a very loud, high pitched noise that was blasted through the PA system. The entire live-in student body woke, some in a panic thinking it was a fire alarm, and now many couldn't get back to sleep. As consolation, a special breakfast was offered and as Rosa offered up a couple of strips of bacon, Sissi shook her head no. The waffles, fruit and whipped cream would be plenty for her and she did have her figure to maintain. She walked out of the line and towards the Lyoko warriors.

The table was arranged slightly differently this morning. Aelita was sitting across from, instead of next to, Jeremy and she had her pink laptop open and was typing on it in between bites of fruit. Beside her sat Yumi and beside Yumi was Ulrich. Yumi gave Jeremy a strange look along with an amused smile. Jeremy looked worried while Odd sat next to him obvious to everything but the food he was shoveling into his mouth. Next to Odd was William who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else than across from Ulrich.

At another table sat a distressed looking Herve and Nicholas, the two friends who she'd abandoned when she was accepted to the Lyoko warrior's circle. Around another table was a group of tired looking cheerleaders who were eying her with an unfriendly look. She had definitely lost a good deal of status in her move. But having Herve and Nicholas mad at her seemed to be the worst consequence for some reason. Looking back in their direction she sighed slightly as they pointedly looked away and returned her attention towards Jeremy's table. It was strange to think of it that way, but it was also easier than to think of it as Ulrich's. That wound hadn't healed completely.

Yumi eyed Sissi warily until Aelita nudged her. Now that the emotional roller coaster of Odd's misadventure was over she was having second thoughts about allowing Sissi in. The girl was, as Jeremy might put it after watching a spy movie, a security risk. Though to date she hadn't done anything that she knew of to jeopardize everything that had been fought for. Further, despite the proximity to Ulrich she hadn't done anything but occasionally flirt lightly with him. It was still bothersome and annoying even when Ulrich told her to stop. It was infuriating if Ulrich tried to play nice. Part of her wished Sissi could be un-scanned and her memory erased. But then she'd still be actively competing and that would have been worse.

Aelita looked up from her laptop to see Sissi seemingly caught and unable to decide if and where she should sit. A glance at Yumi suggested the reason and she nudged the older girl lightly to draw her attention away from Sissi. Before the girl sat down though, Aelita was back to being absorbed in her program. She did however keep an ear open to the table just in case. And while she felt guilty about working through breakfast she knew there was a good reason for it. Welcoming Odd back into the fold had been a little... Difficult was the word she'd settled on. Not that anyone minded now but it was still added work. It was easier than the constant worrying and effort to punish though.

William motioned for Sissi to sit beside him and Odd looked up as she sat down. "Morning Sissi," he greeted with a half full mouth. A chorus of voices echoed the greeting and then everyone turned back to what they were doing. Odd continued eating while Yumi and Ulrich discussed what they were going to do for their free day. After a few moments, Sissi spoke up, mindful to use a soft voice, "can I see Lyoko today?" She felt all eyes on her.

Odd answered first, "yeah sure, I can show you after breakfast."

"No, you're spending an hour after breakfast working on the practice problems we let you skip yesterday," Yumi reminded him.

Odd's expression fell then brightened, "can't I do that on Lyoko? It's easier for me to pick up geometry there anyway."

Jeremy spoke up, "if you promise me you'll actually work on it then I can take you to the factory while Aelita works on the project I'm not allowed to know about." He glanced at Aelita, or rather her laptop and asked, "how about a hint?"

Aelita looked up from her keyboard, "Odd, Sissi, why don't you come by the factory at... two o'clock and we'll get you set up. Odd can work and we'll show you around Lyoko." Pushing down the screen so she could see Jeremy she added, "nope, it's a surprise."

Yumi chuckled and flashed a sympatric look to her stressed and worried friend before looking at Ulrich then Sissi, "you know what, I think I'll go with you guys." Glances and what little Jeremy had taught her about the supercomputer gave her a pretty good guess at what Aelita was planning and she wanted to see how Jeremy would fare. Also, she didn't want Sissi on Lyoko without herself being there.

Now all eyes were on Yumi who shrugged and said simply, "what? I want to know what she looks like on Lyoko and I didn't get to see Jeremy before Aelita gave him a new profile so..."

Jeremy laughed, feeling embarrassed about that time on Lyoko and answered "no offense Yumi, but I'm glad you didn't have to see that."

Odd laughed as well and looked up from his food, "I'll draw you a..."

Odd stopped in mid sentence as Aelita threatened, "not unless you want that profile for your next visit to Lyoko, Odd."

"Sorry Yumi but I am not subjecting myself to that humiliation."

"Chicken." Ulrich replied to Odd through his laughter. "If it's so worth Yumi seeing then why not?"

Sissi sighed as they continued to argue good naturedly and wished she could fit in here. But making fun of Jeremy with Aelita around probably wasn't wise and there was no way she was going to do anything like offering to use Jeremy's profile, whatever that was. Her attention was pulled away from her thoughts by William. "This is why I don't always sit or study with them, sometimes it feels like I'm completely left out." Sissi nodded her head.

(())

Jeremy looked at Odd's door, knowing that staring at it wasn't going to change its state, Jeremy knocked. While he waited Aelita's words kept him glued to the spot. _While I finish my surprise, talk to Odd, ok? You never got to at the hospital and haven't all week._ She was right, he needed to talk with the boy he'd observed for the past week. But his observations had proven useful since they'd eased his fears about Mr. Delmas' concerns.

"Hi Jeremy... What brings you here?" Odd asked as he opened the door.

"Well, I never really got to talk to you at the hospital and... I guess I just figured I'd see how you were doing." Jeremy smiled a little nervously as Odd welcomed him in.

"And you finally decided to stop spying on me?"

Jeremy looked down. Spying wasn't exactly the nicest way to put it but it wasn't exactly wrong either. He'd watched Odd pretty closely, looking for signs of aberrant behavior that he'd researched on the 'net. But Odd seemed to show none, just his usual attitude and even that was toned down some. Which worried him slightly too. Though most things concerning the welfare of his group had that effect. He supposed it was a lingering effect of feeling the responsibility for the entire group's lives for so long. "I wasn't spying on you." He answered defensively. "I was checking on you."

"Why?" Odd demanded, "I promised everyone I wouldn't do that again and since when have you known me to break my promise?"

"Never." Jeremy responded. "But you've directly attacked your friends and you've never tried killing yourself either. You did both in the span of two weeks and I'm worried. You seem better but Odd... Do you know what Mr. Delmas thought about you, what he said he saw in you and the kind of help you needed?"

"Jeremy, listen I'm fine. Overworked and under loved but fine just the same. You don't have to worry about me, I know how much my actions hurt you guys and I can promise you it won't happen again." Odd looked at Jeremy from his seated position on the bed as Jeremy pulled his head up to look at Odd's face.

Jeremy shook his head and consciously kept his arms at his side so he didn't fidget. This hadn't been easy to hear and it was getting harder to repeat as time passed. "Odd, the principal said..."

"That I needed professional help because I obviously don't see women as people if I could force them into having sex." Jeremy blinked as Odd finished his sentence. Odd continued, "Ulrich told me about it earlier in the week."

"So then has this all been an act to make all of us think you're ok just to throw us off?" Jeremy asked with a quake in his voice that said he was unsure of himself.

Odd cocked his head to the side, "have you been watching spy movies of something?"

Jeremy stared up in disbelief, "Odd this is serious. I'm talking about."

"Me, " Odd interrupted loudly. "You're talking about me. Never before have I let you or the group down. Not once have I abandoned you." Jeremy considered differing but he supposed that in the end Odd had a point. He'd always managed to make it in time to help. Odd calmed down a bit as Jeremy did. "I get it, I screwed up with my plan. Yumi forgave me. Aelita forgave me. Ulrich forgave me. Hell, even Sissi stuck up for me. So why can't you?"

Jeremy strongly considered yelling back but restrained himself, that wouldn't help matters at all. Truthfully, he was only holding on to the incident now because he felt it was his duty to protect his friends from harm. He couldn't fight physically so he used his mind, remaining alert to the possibility of more trouble. But as he looked the angry friend over he decided it was time to let go. Probably something Aelita had taught him. "Look Odd, you know I feel responsible for all of you guys and I sometimes can't help it. The others let go and I... I guess I still needed to make sure. Delmas is supposed to be trained to spot problem students and when he decided you were one I figured I shouldn't be so quick to dismiss his thoughts."

Odd huffed in annoyance as Jeremy was basically saying that he trusted an outsider more than a warrior. And the thought registered as weird for a moment until he realized that in some ways Jeremy did consider himself an outsider. And a parent, leader and provider all in one. Or maybe that was something Yumi had told him somewhere along the line. But that vigilance had saved everyone's lives more than once. "Jeremy," Odd started off, his anger draining off of his face. "I'm not the monster Delmas thought I was."

"I know," Jeremy interrupted. "But I had to make sure, it's just what I do."

"Yeah." Odd agreed.

Jeremy turned and started to leave then looked back and turned again before extending his hand in Odd's direction. "No more drugs, no more suicide attempts?"

"No more snooping around or spying?" As Odd took Jeremy's hand he quickly added, "and no more homework."

"Odd..." Jeremy drawled in annoyance.

"Fine." Odd huffed, "No more snooping around or spying from you and no more drugging people or suicide attempts from me."

Jeremy shook his hand firmly, "Deal."

"Ok good, now get out of here so I can try to enjoy my time before your math class."

Jeremy chuckled on his way out and headed for his room. If Aelita wasn't working on some sort of secret project he'd to up to her room. But she was and he changed his mind about going to his room. If he went there he'd work on Lyoko and end up dwelling on what Aelita had planned for him. Instead he decided to go walking around campus in the hope that it would keep his mind off of Aelita's plan. She had had that strange glint in her eye that made him worry she was up to no good when she told him yesterday she was working on something for him but couldn't say what it was.

Odd looked around his room and decided to do a little snooping of his own. He wouldn't go bother the princess since he knew full well she would carry through with her threat and he really did not want that humiliation. Jeremy wasn't likely to be doing anything worth spying on so that left Yumi and Ulrich. Who would kill him if they caught him spying on them. He looked at Kiwi, unless he had a good reason to be in their general area... Grabbing the leash he gathered Kiwi and began to head towards the dorm exit. Yumi and Ulrich would probably be sparring in the gym and if he was lucky he could wind up needing to hide there if he was caught by the couple. If he was really lucky, he'd catch them in an embarrassing picture.

* * *

A/N: Next chapter should have some fun moments to balance out the seriousness of the last couple.


	15. A fun day part 1

**Lyoko, Desert Sector, Sunday 12:00 Noon**: Jeremy held on tightly, his chest pressed against Aelita's back and his arms squeezing her waist. If he paid no attention to his surroundings he could almost imagine the heat her body would radiate, the scent of her hair and the softness of it against his face. But the if was a big one, for the if assumed that they were somewhere other than one hundred feet in the air on Lyoko. And it assumed that he was not plastered to her back out of fear, hanging on for dear life as she tried to coax him into loosing up.

An ill advised look down captured part of the pink and blue overboard she had created, the special project she had been working on all morning and through part of yesterday evening. Even as he shut his eyes he could still imagine the shape of the board, slightly wider and longer than Odd's. He could appreciate the brightly colored pink pattern that adorned the front of her unique board, the way the likeness of her energy field weapon trailed into flames as it met the part of the board meant for riders. Intellectually he knew the extra thrusters he had observed on the ground compensated for the increased digital mass. The longer vertical stabilizers would make for a more stable platform. He couldn't shake the feeling they were teeth, or knives though he knew Aelita had nothing so sinister in mind when she created them.

Aelita huffed in annoyance and guided her board back to the desert surface. She had expected that Jeremy wouldn't like this. But he had learned to handle the sewer jumps on his scooter. By comparison this should have been easy. Unlike on earth, a fall wouldn't amount to anything other than minor and temporary pain. There was no disgusting sewer water to fall into and no one around to laugh at his mistakes. Yet Jeremy seemed to be scared out of his mind, unable to manage even the simplest of maneuvers. As she brought the board to a hover mere inches from the ground she shook herself and pried Jeremy's hands off of her waist. "Jeremy," there was no hiding the disappointment in her voice, "we're back on the ground, you can get off now."

Jeremy opened his eyes, confirmed Aelita's statement, and jumped off the board. But the disappointment in Aelita's voice and the way she faked a smile as she turned to look at him stabbed through him. She had obviously been counting on him being up to a flight in the virtual world and had expected so much more from him. But he wasn't Odd and if that's what she was going to want out of this relationship it was going to be a short one. Words said while snuggled together in his bed came to mind, that she loved him for who he was. That he had been willing to face anything for the sake of his friends. But there was no life of death danger here, nothing was dependent on him making this work so there was nothing to banish away the fear. "Aelita... I... I'm sorry it's just."

"It's alright Jeremy, I just thought I'd try and show you why I loved flying on the overboard so much."

Jeremy smiled at her, the gesture forced and he knew Aelita could tell. "You're really good on the board... Why don't you do some tricks, you know I've never actually seen you fly in person." He watched as Aelita considered. "I can bring up Odd's board," he added in a low, defeated voice.

Aelita frowned and shook her head no. She didn't want Odd's version of the overboard. She wanted Jeremy standing behind her on the one she created, enjoying the simple fact of riding with her. She didn't doubt he could handle it, if he would simply try. But first he had to be pushed past his fear. Unfortunately she was at a loss for how to do that. Without any other alternative she looked him in the eye and just asked: "Jeremy, what are you so afraid of?" With a quick stroke of inspiration she raised her hand and tapped the bracelet, summoning her wings. A quick stroke from them and she was hovering a couple of feet of the ground. Looking down at Jeremy she asked, "do you remember when you gave these to me?" When Jeremy nodded she continued, "what did I say?"

"That I was the wind beneath your wings."

Aelita's smile quickly became very real, "you gave me the ability to fly, both here in Lyoko and in the real world. Now it's my turn. You know I'll always be at your side and together we've beaten the worst XANA could throw at us. I don't mind teaching you how to love and live but you need to be willing to learn. You've proven to be a quick learner in other things, trust me and give this an honest try. If you really don't like it I won't ask again. ok?"

Jeremy looked up at his angel and fought with himself. He wanted to do this for her and maybe even for himself. In all honesty he wanted to be able to go outside and play like other teens did. But over the years the bullying and teasing had gotten the better of him. Then, when he actually had friends who might be willing to overlook his shortcomings without constantly making fun of him, he had found an enemy that only he was truly qualified to fight. Changing his gaze to Aelita's overboard he wished that he could just get on the thing and ride it.

Aelita watched Jeremy struggle and remained fixed in her spot, using every ounce of willpower to stop herself from demanding he hop on again. Jeremy was going to have to decide to do this himself because if he didn't it wasn't likely he'd manage. That was one of the best and worst things about her boyfriend. If he chose to set himself a goal there was nothing that would stop him from reaching it. But if he didn't want to do something it was unlikely anything would make him. She noticed him change position and take a step towards the hovering board. There was determination in his expression and while that was the wrong approach to this, it was something she could work with. Suppressing a happy squeal she dropped lightly to her feet, turned off her wings and patted Jeremy's shoulder as she passed him and stepped onto the board.

Jeremy forced back his nervousness for a second time and tried to bury it much deeper this time. He stepped up on the board, taking Aelita's offered hand to steady himself. This time, rather than just plaster himself against her back he took note of how she was standing and tried to mimic her stance.

Looking over her shoulder, Aelita had to smile as she saw Jeremy imitate her stance. The realization that he probably had no idea what he was doing and wouldn't find it as instinctual as she did hit her suddenly and she turned around, careful to not throw Jeremy off balance. She explained to Jeremy how his body position would be able to affect the boards flight and then proceeded to demonstrate by leaning him over until they both toppled and fell to the ground. The goal was twofold, one objective was to show that even if he fell it would be ok since they were on Lyoko and the second was to help him get a feel for how much he could be off balance before he did fall. Here the wider board was a help, Odd's board would have flipped over at a much shallower angle than hers did. The fact was something she hoped Jeremy would appreciate.

Having gotten the basics of ground school Jeremy gathered his courage and told Aelita he was ready to try again. Staying close to the ground, she started off with a slow series of turns to help Jeremy translate his instruction into the actual feel of the board. Slowly he began to loosen up, his movements becoming more fluid as he gained confidence in his ability to keep up, and in her ability to keep them both within his abilities. She sped up, and began to demonstrate that speed made angles that would have toppled them possible to maintain. Jeremy mentioned that it was centrifugal force that helped them stay stable and then yelped as she jerked the board into a climb.

Jeremy, embarrassed by his outburst, shut up after apologizing and tried to fight the rising fear as they gained altitude. The desert plateau slowly grew smaller and smaller as Aelita continued to climb which didn't help him much. But as bad as it felt to watch the safety of solid ground get farther away, the view of the sector was spectacular. He could see the various platforms suspended in mid air, some with large canyons and others with narrow passage ways running between them. Towers all across the sector had a faint white glow, confirming their status as neutral while they handled the nanosecond by nanosecond job of maintaining the supercomputer's operating system, hardware and data flow. Far below the digital sea loomed, the likely final resting place of Aelita's father and of XANA. Sadness at the thought mixed with a sense of gratitude that he and Aelita were not directly over it.

Aelita glanced around the sector, unknowingly considering some of the very same things Jeremy was. She hadn't really gotten any time to truly look around and appreciate the virtual world that her father had built as a sanctuary. Remembering why she was here though, she glanced back over her shoulder to see Jeremy seemingly ok with being up this high and the lazy, spiral climb that he was ignoring to take in the scenery. Facing forward again she smirked and leveled out then pushed the nose down.

Jeremy couldn't help it, he screamed as felt the pull of gravity try and smash him into Aelita's back just before the acceleration took hold to remove its effect and he plunged towards the ground. He fought the instinct to close his eyes and then felt something try to crush him against the board as Aelita leaned to the right to turn their straight descent into a spiral which he had no choice but to go along with. His stomach felt like it was now in his head and he desperately battled to avoid jumping at Aelita's back and holding on to her. That was likely to sent them both tumbling out of control.

Aelita grit her teeth and slowed their descent after losing about half their altitude. She had hoped for less of an extreme reaction and reminded herself that Jeremy wasn't as used to this as she was. Giving him a moment to calm down she continued their descent in a much more gentle manner. But she couldn't shake the feeling of guilt over doing that to him and hoped it wouldn't discourage him. "Jeremy, I'm sorry for that... I didn't mean to scare you." _That much_, she added to herself.

"It's ok," Jeremy replied sounding a little breathless. "Just warn me next time." The larger, slower downward spiral was finally allowing his stomach to catch up to the rest of his body. Which didn't make any sense since his body didn't actually have a stomach here. But he knew he'd never make fun of Odd over the transport orb again. The thought did help out his mood though, Odd had eventually gotten used to the ride which gave him hope that he would as well.

Aelita pointed at a plateau several degrees to the left, "that's out next destination, Jeremy." With that she angled the board towards it. She heard him groan as he realized what she had in mind. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine."

Jeremy gulped then forced himself to calm down, replying "if you say so...". In the distance he could see the canyon and began to focus on it, hoping that he wouldn't disappoint her again. While Aelita dropped the rest of their altitude, Jeremy studied the layout and tried to map out how he was going to have to move based on the control lessons from earlier. The possibility of hitting a wall and the possible speed of reaction he would need worried him. Aelita's calm confidence as they approached the canyon opening soothed him.

His anxiety seemed to increase once he was too low to continue studying the layout of the canyon and as the walls finally closed in around him the reality of how little space there was to work with hit. Probably owing to Aelita's moderate speed, the walls moving by seemed to stay well defined and it was distracting. He also found that the long distance view did little to help him with the reality of the close up experience. As a result of all this he was lagging Aelita and reacting too stiffly, sometimes over correcting and other times under correcting. It was forcing Aelita to really struggle to keep control and in his frustration he briefly closed his eyes and wished that he had asked Aelita to slow down some more. When he opened them he was completely disoriented.

Aelita knew she was in trouble, it was easy enough to feel. Unfortunately the source of the problem was Jeremy and in the split second of panic that she might never have felt otherwise she lost any opportunity to avoid a collision with the outcropping of rock. She screamed for Jeremy to jump and forgot that she'd never told him about the boards safety feature. He was anchored to the board and it would require a direct command from him before he could get off.

Jeremy tried to obey and threw himself at the ground but his feet remained firmly attached to the board. The effort jerked the overboard about Jeremy's Z-axis and Aelita, who was unprepared to counter the sudden movement, yelped as she was thrown off despite her attempt to stay on. Her scream tore through the air as she flew towards the ground and watched the overboard make a violent impact against the outcropping.

In his panic stricken mind, the whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion. The board shuddered as it hit the wall then careened back into the canyon and towards the opposite wall. He strained to stop the tumble as his off center weight forced the nose up. Frantically reaching for anything he somehow hit the thrusters and the board's middle smashed into the upper lip of the canyon wall, the collision jerking his body forward while rotating the board until he was perpendicular to the wall. Feeling himself rotating downwards he braced himself to be dragged along the side before realizing that he was in free fall.

Aelita skidded to a stop, the horror of watching Jeremy's crash having made her nearly oblivious to her own initial impact. She slowly rolled over and stood up, her mind shaking off the notion that she needed to check for injuries just in time to let her hear the sound of Jeremy falling to the ground.

"JEREMY!" She screamed as she ran towards him, ignoring the fact that this was Lyoko and he couldn't have been injured. "Jeremy, are you ok?"

Jeremy picked himself up, groaning as he moved under the imagined pain of his fall. however it was fleeting and he realized that it really just meant the fall was enough to scrape off some lifepoints. "I'm fine Aelita," he called out while watching her rush towards him. "How about you?"

Ignoring the question she began to slow down just enough to avoid tackling him to the ground when she collided with him. Wrapping their arms around each other the couple wasted no time in saying "I'm sorry". They separated and looked each other over, slightly surprised at the apology. Jeremy looked down at the ground, he had disappointed Aelita and proven again that he had no business being anywhere but in front of a computer or book. "I'm sorry," he murmured again.

Aelita frowned as she saw the downcast look in Jeremy's eyes as he turned them towards the ground. She looked up at the canyon walls and cursed herself for trying to take the canyon so fast. If she'd tried a little slower... "Jeremy?" She waited until he looked up at her. "I really am sorry, I took that too fast for the both of us."

"It's my fault Aelita, I'm the one who lost track of where I was... I closed my eyes for one second and..."

Aelita's face flashed with anger for a moment then softened as she realized what Jeremy had said. "Lost track of where you were?" She asked gently.

Jeremy stared shamefully down the canyon, "when we were in the air I tried to memorize the layout so I could navigate."

Closing her eyes, Aelita counted to three then opened them to see a very worried Jeremy. He didn't realize that she was mad at herself more than at him. At worst he'd done what he thought was best to impress her. But the most likely answer was that he thought that was the best way to deal with the situation. She'd taught him how the board responds to movement, it's controls, but not how to handle a confined space. Blowing out a breath she reached out and grabbed Jeremy's shoulder. "I guess I need to learn a thing or two about teaching," she said apologetically.

Jeremy shook his head, "it's not your fault. I knew when."

"STOP!" Aelita shouted, "not everything that goes wrong is your fault." Calming herself she continued, "I taught you to control the board but not how to ride it. Please give me another chance."

Jeremy looked away worriedly then looked back as he felt her eyes boring into him. There was a pleading note to them that he just couldn't say no to. "Ok," he replied a little shakily before pulling up his interface and noticing that he could remake Aelita's new board. He tapped in the command and hoped for the best as another board materialized.

Over the next hour Aelita showed Jeremy how to really control the board. Their earlier maneuvers were, in retrospect, much too sloppy to handle the confined quarters of a canyon. Aelita climbed out of the canyon and spent the next hour getting Jeremy used to actually flying the overboard with her. More than simply showing him the controls, she helped him get used to the feel of each maneuver and taught him the basics of anticipating how much he would need to move by using her creativity to form curving lines that snaked across the desert plateaus to follow. It was a lot more tedious than flying through a canyon but at the same time it did build Jeremy's confidence and ability considerably.

Satisfied by his progress, Aelita flew them both to another desert canyon. This time Jeremy glanced at the canyon but forced himself not to make the same mistake again. Aelita added speed and Jeremy braced himself, splitting his attention between Aelita's posture and the canyon walls. Both would help him make the trip safely. He felt her break slightly as they entered and breathed a sigh of relief, she had been going a little too fast for his liking.

As Aelita entered the second canyon, she chose a speed that she hoped would be ok for Jeremy, but was a little too slow to be exciting for herself and lame by Odd's standards. Still she navigated the passage, noticing that the board seemed a lot more stable and that Jeremy was reacting better. Hoping she could push things father she added some speed and though she knew Jeremy tensed, he seemed to keep up fairly well after a period of adjustment.

Jeremy watched as the walls raced by and picked out what he thought was the best line to follow. Part of his attention was also focused on Aelita, allowing him to be alert to the small changes in her posture that signaled she may have different plans than him. He leaned with her as they came around a bend, allowing the turn to drift slightly to the outside. Feeling the board accelerate, Jeremy found that though he did get a little more nervous it didn't show as much. His reaction times, agility and strength had all been boosted by the virtualization process and now that he was used to both his 'new' body and the process of navigating he was starting to have fun.

All of that was tested as they rounded the next bend and discovered that it was a dead end. A circular clearing existed with a tower in the center and a rapid calculation suggested that it was possible to skim the outside of the cul-de-sac and head out the same way they had entered. Missing whatever cue would have signaled that his girlfriend was ready to leave, he shifted himself to guide the board along the outside wall of the canyon. Aelita meanwhile threw herself back into him to raise the nose and added thrust to make the board climb.

Suddenly discovering that she and Jeremy were dangerously out of sync, Aelita strained to recover from the spin that the combination of riders produced before they could tumble into the canyon wall. A repeat of the earlier crash was something she desperately wanted to avoid. Jeremy belatedly realized his mistake and moved to recover which only exaggerated the correction Aelita was making. Instead of leveling out from a dangerous left rotation, the couple found themselves rolling over to the right. Fighting to keep control before they tumbled into a wall Aelita shouted at Jeremy and he centered himself and stopped trying to help.

Jeremy looked at the pink hair in front of him after they flight had been stabilized and wondered. He was finally getting the hang of this and then he screwed it up. The sound of happy though slightly annoyed laughter, was the last thing he expected to hear as Aelita called over her shoulder, "so what happened back there? Feel like making another crash landing or were you just trying to see how good I am at dealing with unexpected emergencies?"

"Sorry, I was expecting you to go around the outside and back through the canyon."

"Don't be sorry, you did really well back there. So did you enjoy it?"

"Actually, yeah I did. In fact I might be even able to get used to this... Well. at least in here. I don't know about outside Lyoko."

"You might surprise yourself," Aelita quipped with an audible grin. Turning a little more serious she said "listen I don't expect you to become an athlete or an extreme sports addict like Odd. I just wanted to show you that you can handle a little excitement. That you could have a little fun that wasn't entirely mental, you know?"

"I think so, maybe I even need that from time to time, just remember to go easy on me. I can break more easily than you can."

"I doubt that." Aelita replied. She spied a way-tower and a wicked grin spread across her face. One that she was glad Jeremy couldn't see. "Next stop, Mountain sector." He wasn't as fragile as he thought and it was time to show him.

Jeremy didn't get a chance to reply as Aelita dropped them both towards the way-tower she had lined up with. His voice caught in his throat as they sped towards the glowing, white, very solid looking structure. He now understood why Yumi had been dubious of his assertion that she could take the Overwing through a tower. Every instinct screamed at him to jump off the board or at least put his hand in front of his face to try and protect himself from the impact.

Before he could do either thing however they were at the tower and he felt only the slightest resistance as he went through the wall. Grateful that Aelita didn't see him flinch he marveled at her piloting skill as they slipped between the lower platform and the wall to fly down into the data streams within the inter-tower network. His eyes were glued to the walls as code, data, and commands flew by. For reasons he still didn't understand some of the mass of data was actually meaningful. Before he could consider that fact any farther he saw the platform of the exit tower and any code or data fragments he had read melted back to meaningless binary. He flinched again as the tower's wall rippled and he passed through to reveal the mountain sector. Aelita had them in a climb the instant the board was clear of the tower and it seemed like she was searching for something. "What are you looking for?" Jeremy asked.

"The trail I scared you on."

"Oh." He remembered that incident, when she had shown such skill on the original version of the overboard. He had been terrified as she showed off, his overworked mind kept imagining how XANA would make him watch as it killed Yumi, Ulrich and Odd before his eyes. Then, if he was lucky, XANA would kill him and if not he would get to watch helpless as XANA destroyed the world. But another part couldn't help but be proud of the young woman he rescued and how strong she was becoming.

"Found it!" She announced as she planned out her approach and then sang.

Hearing her song for the first time while in Lyoko showed that his headset did not do it justice. Jeremy smiled as she continued and watched, wide eyed, as Lyoko's terrain reformed itself to her will. "You know, I've sung for you why is this the first time I've heard you sing?" The last few notes seemed to linger in his ears, his mind clinging to them as Aelita answered his question.

"You've never asked" Aelita replied casually. "Now get ready because here we go." She angled down and took the trail faster than the desert canyon. But Jeremy was ready, more alert to his surroundings and a lot more acclimated to what was happening. This trail was easier to follow than the canyon but more nerve-wracking because everything was open and even with the recovery program he really did not want to experience falling into the digital sea. But he also couldn't deny having fun as his concentration on the ride forced everything else away.

Aelita let out a peel of happy laughter as she made a long jump, spun around in the air and managed the landing for both of them. Jeremy managed to not grab her and hold on for dear life while she preformed the stunt. Once it was over though he felt a strange sense of elation over the risky move. He was starting to understand what Odd found so appealing in his stupid stunts. Though, the feeling was nowhere near enough to make him consider doing any such thing on a regular basis.

Seeing a tunnel brought a new sense of fear as he had never tried navigating inside a totally enclosed environment like that. As good at this as it seemed he was getting he wasn't quite sure he was up to this challenge. But Aelita continued her pace, and this time there was no questioning Aelita's intent as they rounded the last bend and hurtled towards the tunnel's entrance. The first thing he noticed was that it wasn't as dark as he expected. The second was that it felt safer than being outside. The rock walls were much too close for comfort however, and so he kept his movements small and allowed Aelita to do most of the work navigating the cavern.

Aelita followed the twisting path and remembered what lay just ahead. She got an idea based on Jeremy's earlier mistake in the desert and slowed down as she briefly considered. It was why she was here after all and despite Jeremy's discomfort with the tunnel he was still doing very well. "Hey Jeremy, I'm going to make a violent turn so get ready and get as close to me as possible. Match my movements just like you've been practicing. Or tell me not to now."

Jeremy noticed her slowing down and decided to try it. The worst that could happen was an embarrassing fall, they were inside after all. Hesitantly he replied "ok."

"Ok, here goes." They entered the spherical room and she steered the board to fly them sideways along the wall for one entire revolution. Seeing as Jeremy had held on for that she abruptly cut across her circle when they reached the tunnel they had come in through and headed across the center of the room towards the exit. She angled off to the left side then quickly pulled the nose up just in time to avoid colliding with the wall. Next she swept the nose down like a pendulum, tracing a U shaped arc. Now facing down and on the right side of the exit tunnel she pulled the nose up and angled the board to make it through the tunnel they had entered from. It was the hardest maneuver she had yet tried with Jeremy and he handled it... well enough anyway.

Jeremy was surprised that she had tried that and even more surprised that he handled it without tripping her up. He was very grateful that he didn't have a physical body because as they leveled out in the tunnel after his heart would have been beating out of his chest.

Wishing she could continue this lesson, a quick check of Lyoko's clock said it was time to get ready for the arrival of their friends. Reluctantly, Aelita headed towards a tower so that she and Jeremy could get the necessary programs set up. "It's time to get ready for our friends."

"Yeah, ok" Jeremy answered with a mixture of relief and regret. "Did you really have to do that last maneuver?"

"You could have said no when I asked if you were ready for it."

"Well, let's just say it was more than I was expecting and I'm glad I don't really have a stomach here."

Aelita laughed, "you and me both. But seriously Jeremy, you really did a good job on that trail and I'm impressed." She brought the board down near a tower.

Jeremy stepped off the overboard and waited until Aelita was off to respond. "You must be awfully easy to impress then."

Aelita playfully punched Jeremy's shoulder then ran into the tower to avoid retaliation. Jeremy ran after her, phasing through the wall and following her up to the second level. Before Jeremy could do anything an alert caught his attention and he watched the elevator open to reveal the gang arriving a little early. The camera feed wasn't the greatest way to judge but it looked like Yumi and Ulrich were glaring daggers at Odd before they turned their attention to the computer console.

* * *

A/N: Next up will be how Yumi, Ulrich and Odd spent their day.


	16. A fun day part 2

**A/N: **Thank you to Moonlitxangel for beta reading and my two reviewers.

* * *

**Kadic Academy, Gym building, Sunday 11:30 AM:** Ulrich dropped the last mat into place and glanced over to Yumi as she stretched out in preparation. For the first time in weeks they were going to have a sparring session and... Her look suggested, in no uncertain way, that he should be warming up as well. Reluctantly turning away from watching her, he began his own series of warm ups.

After five minutes of warming up and stretching Yumi looked over to Ulrich, "you ready?"

Looking up and smiling back at her, Ulrich stood straight and nodded his head, "Yup, you?"

"Of course." Yumi answered as she walked to the center of the mats they had spread out. Taking up a good fighting stance she watched as Ulrich took his own then opened with a punch. Neither had fought in a couple of weeks and she decided to start off a little more slowly than normal just to be safe. Ulrich dodged the first punch and answered with a light one of his own, which Yumi twisted away from just in time to avoid. She stepped back and eyed Ulrich, wondering why it only took a few weeks to be this out of practice. Starting again, they took a good ten minutes to get back to the fast tempo that they were accustomed to having when they sparred.

About twenty minutes after Yumi and Ulrich had started warming up, Odd ducked into the gym to avoid a few students that wouldn't be sympathetic to Kiwi's presence. He heard the sound of fighting and walked in further, admonishing Kiwi to remain quiet as he snuck in to see what was going on. What he saw was the tail end of a match as Yumi flipped Ulrich unto his back and put her foot to his throat to claim victory. Afterwards she extended her hand and helped pull him unto his feet. Both of them took a few minutes to rest then Yumi went to her bag and pulled out two bottles of water and a candy bar. Ulrich refused the offer of a second candy bar and Yumi proceeded to open hers.

Kiwi jumped out of Odd's arms and ran for the food, yanking the leash from his hand. Looking up at the distinct sound of claws on the floor, Yumi saw Odd chasing after his dog as it ran towards her. She couldn't help but laugh as Kiwi stopped at her feet and started to beg, lifting up to stand on his back paws and wave his front ones at her. He was rewarded with a piece of candy and she watched the little dog snap it up, swallow it and immediately ask for more. Ulrich reached down and picked up the dog, handing him back to Odd who offered his apology and explanation for the intrusion then asked, "so why were you two fighting?" Odd asked.

"Sparring." Yumi corrected, "Ulrich needed the practice."

"Wait, I needed the practice!" Ulrich responded in a slightly raised but not angry voice. "You were the one who suggested it."

"I wanted to blow off some steam and have some fun." Yumi paused for a second then continued sounding playful, "and you were the one who lost."

"Says the girl who couldn't throw a decent kick when we started." Ulrich said with a laugh.

"Or the boy that couldn't defend a simple punch?" Yumi retaliated.

"Don't tell me you two are going to fight?" Odd interjected.

"Weren't we doing that already?" Both Yumi and Ulrich answered in near unison. They looked at each other and blushed. Odd couldn't help himself and laughed at the two blushing lovebirds. While the pair looked down at him in annoyance, Odd managed to contain his laughter and recover his composure. Mumbling a quick apology he reached for Kiwi's leash and put the strap around his wrist to prevent a repeat of what happened earlier then turned and headed for the exit. But as he walked his mind ran circles around itself trying to think of ways to both help Yumi and Ulrich along while possibly getting a picture perfect and embarrassing moment to share with the school's newspaper. He reached the exit then turned around quickly and called back to Ulrich, "so Ulrich, are you _ever_ gonna beat Yumi in a fair fight?"

"What! I can take Yumi... I'm just... going easy on her." Ulrich called back. He realized the mistake he made even as he was speaking but by that time it was too late. He looked back sheepishly at Yumi, hoping to apologize. However, it took Yumi only a second to sweep Ulrich's feet out from under him and send him down to the mat. "What were you saying?" She asked as she again offered her hand to Ulrich.

Odd shook his head, "letting her win huh? I would think you know better than that." Odd teased. Kiwi put his ears down as if he knew what was coming. But rather than immediately fight with Ulrich, Yumi glared intensely at Odd, silently telling him to leave. Deciding that Yumi was serious he did walk out, he just didn't leave the gym building and hoped he wouldn't have to break up a fight.

With a low growl let out the second Odd was out of eyeshot she asked, "you really weren't giving me your best?" The idea that she would need him to go easy on her was, quite simply, insulting and her tone of voice made that crystal clear.

"Um, well..."

Yumi gave him a disgusted shake of her head, "Ulrich..." she growled but didn't get to finish.

"Ok you two don't fight, forgive and forget. Right?" Odd said as he ducked his head through the doorway. Having too really good martial artists mad at you wasn't, as he had learned firsthand, good for one's health. However he just couldn't leave the couple alone. Both Yumi and Ulrich glared at him so he quickly came up with another Idea. "Ok why don't you two fight again, loser has to grant the winner's wish. That way both of you will try as hard as you can." Odd couldn't hide his relief as Yumi and Ulrich turned their attention towards one another.

Yumi and Ulrich regarded each other for a moment then took a menacing step towards Odd who pulled his head out of the doorway and bolted away. Neither cared to listen to see how far away he got though and they turned back towards one another. Though the time had dissipated most of their anger, Ulrich found himself feeling suddenly competitive. With a slight smirk he challenged "so what do you want **IF** you win."

Yumi thought for a second, "You'll be taking me to that new Japanese restaurant **when** I win. I'll warn you that you had better start saving, it's supposed to be expensive in addition to having really good food."

Ulrich stared at Yumi dumbstruck. She had never demanded anything expensive or flashy before. Yumi looked him in the eye, "what? I can't want a nice date every once in a while." When Ulrich blinked and nodded in response she asked "so what about you?"

Ulrich gulped, not everything he wanted was as innocent. For instance he wanted to spend a night in the same bed with Yumi even if nothing further happened. But that wasn't the end of it, after feeling Sissy's belly he wanted to do that and more with Yumi. He was under the impression that it would feel much better than it had with Sissy because his feelings for Yumi were different and so much stronger. But he had never shared even a proper french kiss with her, which was another thing he wanted to do. His problem was that he and Yumi weren't really the type to go for large displays of affection. Nor was he really sure if he should ask for anything like what he really wanted.

But Yumi _could_ appreciate him being forthright about his desire for a little physical affection. It may be far easier to handle than having awkward near kisses or trying to figure out if the moment was just right to move in for one. He looked up at Yumi, seeing her growing a little impatient as he considered. On the other hand she may want their first experiences with such gestures of affection to be done on impulse. She may not appreciate being forced into kissing him just because she lost a bet.

Odd poked his head back into the gymnasium to see Yumi looking impatiently at Ulrich and wondered what was going on. Or rather, what Ulrich was stuck thinking so hard about. His money would be on the stakes of the next sparring round between Ulrich and Yumi though. And since it was Ulrich who was struggling, he decided to come to the rescue of his best friend. "How about if Ulrich wins you two kiss, and I mean a real first kiss and not just a peck on the cheek or lips."

Yumi considered the suggestion, not seeming nearly as angry as she herself might have expected. The prospect of sharing a kiss was tantalizing, maybe even enough to warrant the somewhat despicable nature of how it would happen. Then again, it wasn't like Ulrich was going to win this fight anyway. With a predatory smile she looked over Ulrich, "If that's what you want, it's fine with me." _Since you won't be winning anyway_, she added to herself.

Ulrich looked up, surprised. She actually had sounded interested, and that sparked his own interest. "Really?"

"Yeah, really." Yumi replied with the same smile. She turned to Odd, "You can go now, if you're lucky maybe we'll tell you who won."

"Wait, you mean I don't get to watch?" Odd whined.

"NO" Yumi and Ulrich replied in unison, blushing slightly.

Odd left the Gym for the third time and figured that if he'd gotten away with staying around the last two times he could manage it again. Checking his phone once he was out of site, he made sure the camera was working. Having settled the argument and possibly gotten Ulrich his first kiss with Yumi, he decided he really did deserve a little reward.

Yumi watched Odd leave then turned to her boyfriend and regarded him with a mixture of emotions. She wanted Ulrich to fight her without holding back, not for his prize but out of respect for both her and her abilities. Some part of her wanted to lose just to kiss the boy. Some of her still wanted to thrash him for daring to think she needed him to go easy. As she took her spot in front of Ulrich she forced it all from her mind and concentrated on the upcoming battle. Gritting her teeth slightly, she decided that she was going to make him earn that kiss... She bowed to him with a slightly confused expression that she didn't have time to consider.

Ulrich bowed to Yumi, her expression giving him a split seconds pause before he decided to take advantage of whatever she was feeling. If she didn't want him to go easy on her then she needed to be fully present. Seizing the initiative, he made the first attack once Yumi signaled she was ready by lunging forward and lashing out with a powerful kick. Yumi ducked under his kick and sprung up, punching at his exposed chest and knocking him back. "Not a good start if you want your first real kiss," she teased. They both looked away briefly, each wondering where that had come from, before returning to the issue at hand: winning the fight.

Surging forward again, Ulrich tried a flurry of quick punches which Yumi deftly avoided or blocked. Spinning out of the way of his last punch, she reached out and grabbed his shoulder to haul him down. Sensing his fall however, Ulrich was quick enough to grab her waist and pull her down as well. Both teens hit the mat with a mildly painful omph and pushed into one another in an effort to pin the other on the ground.

When his feet started to slip however, Ulrich gave up and let Yumi push him over unto his back then exerted his muscles to send Yumi over the top of himself and then off to the side. Realizing the vulnerability of what had just happened, she let momentum carry her and rolled clear of Ulrich before shoving herself up and getting quickly back unto her feet.

Executing a quick jump up himself, Ulrich faced off against Yumi once again, circling her slowly while she turned to keep him in front of her. After Ulrich had traced a 45 degree arc Yumi decided that it was time to attack and rushed forward to feign a kick to the stomach. She continued the effort until she was certain her opponent had bought the act then dropped into a crouch to sweep Ulrich's legs out from under him. She didn't see Ulrich's expression as he awkwardly went from a position to catch her foot to jumping to avoid her sweep kick.

While Yumi sprung up from her failed attack and Ulrich landed from his successful dodge they both plotted their next more. Leading forward with a chop aimed at her collar, Ulrich was just a split second too slow and Yumi blocked it aside. She thrust her hand at Ulrich and knocked him back again. Failing to press the advantage she waited for him to attack.

Attack he did, launching a flurry quick kicks at Yumi's side that she struggled to block as she slowly backed up. Just as Ulrich started to feel like he could claim victory he felt his foot stop in mid air and then be roughly shoved away, knocking him off balance and nearly toppling him to the ground.

Pushed back on his heels, Yumi counter-attacked with a series of punches that required him to back pedal as he fought to block them all. With a short yell, she suddenly stopped punching and twirled around to bring a round house kick with surprising speed. Ulrich jumped out of the way and got up just in time throw a punch in counter to Yumi's. Both twisted out of the way and retreated from one another for a moment.

The effort felt good, their muscles starting to burn while the gulped air in a light pant. Light glistened off their foreheads, their hair was starting to get slick and matted with perspiration. A slight nod to each other and Ulrich charged at Yumi.

Odd watched the pair with interest, he'd never actually stopped to appreciate just how skilled they were with martial arts and quite frankly it was much more interesting than watching Jeremy and Aelita work on Lyoko. While everything between them happened in the limited confines of their minds and computer screens, the fight between Ulrich and Yumi was visceral. Arms and legs moving almost quickly enough to blur as they yelled to distract their opponent then jumped, rolled and did anything else to avoid the other's attacks. Yumi fought with fluid grace while Ulrich countered with power.

Unfortunately for him however, Yumi seemed to be winning. At least from the perspective of an untrained observer. She was the one countering most effectively and, it seemed, she had let Ulrich go a few times when she could have ended the match. But as Odd watched, he had to wonder just how much longer this could go on. Both combatants were now, after almost 15 minutes of continuous fighting, looking like they needed a break. Sweat dripped freely from both of them and at each reset they seemed to pant more heavily to recover. There was a bit of disappointment as they separated again, the most recent clash having ended in a draw. It wasn't looking good for getting a picture of them kissing.

Ulrich backed away from Yumi, panting heavily as he set himself up in a defensive posture. His last three attacks hadn't gone well and Yumi had either blocked or resisted each until she found a vulnerability and pushed him back. If she were in a bad mood she could have easily claimed victory on a few occasions. But each time she had allowed him to recover and attack again. The possibility that she wanted to kiss him did little to sooth his now seething ego. Forget the kiss, he needed to win this fight just to prove he could. It felt like Yumi was toying with him and that simply didn't sit well at all.

Yumi took Ulrich's moment of hesitation as an invitation and charged forward, forcing Ulrich back with another series of punches and kicks that he struggled to block aside. But rather than back pedal he relied on brute strength and put some real force into his blocks. The effect was instant and slowly Yumi started to lose ground as he managed to force openings in her attacks. There was more than a little satisfaction as he landed a blow and Yumi staggered back. But rather than stand and gloat, he pressed his advantage and forced Yumi back with his own combination kicks that she struggled to dodge.

Yumi however simply smirked as she leapt clear of Ulrich's barrage before she reached the edge of the mat, rolled once and sprung to her feet. "Is that all you've got?" She taunted.

Ulrich growled, spun to face her and charged at her again. She laughed a little as she dodged the attack and hit Ulrich on his back to send him stumbling forward a few steps. He turned to face her again and surprised her by feigning a chop at her neck and then landing a punch to her stomach. But he didn't get everything he wanted as she rolled to the side to lessen the blow. She landed her own chop to his upper back then dropped in another attempt to sweep Ulrich's feet out from under him.

Ulrich tried to turn as his opponent dropped and realized too late what he should have already known. He landed on his butt and Yumi pounced on him, knocking him over and pinning him down. Trying to struggle against the determined young woman proved futile as she put herself into the perfect position to hold him down. Unable to escape, Ulrich grudgingly conceded the match and stopped struggling.

Yumi rolled herself off and just lie at his side for a few minutes to catch her breath. She looked beside her to see Ulrich doing the same and couldn't help but gloat a little. "So were you still taking it easy on me?" Granted she wasn't and didn't sound mad any more since it was obvious that he was giving her an honest fight towards the end.

"No... But you were."

Yumi turned unto her side to face Ulrich, her head propped up on her hand. "Maddening isn't it?"

Ulrich rolled unto his side to face her. Pride said he shouldn't admit she was right, his conscience said he was supposed to. "Yeah."

"Good." Yumi snapped lightly as she got up. "Now help me get the mats put away so I can go to Aelita's room and grab a change of clothes and shower before we meet the rest of the group." She extended her hand and helped Ulrich up, blushing slightly. "And you'd better take one too." She turned around and headed to the corner of one of the mats. "I'm holding you to our wager."

Odd snickered, knowing that in a way it wasn't fair to Ulrich since very few people would have a shot at beating Yumi when she was mad or determined to teach a lesson. Finding them cleaning up to be a little boring he looked down at his phone, regretting that he didn't get a good, embarrassing picture of them. But his disappointment lightened somewhat as he considered that the only thing he'd get was trouble that he didn't need. It lightened more as he considered that it felt good to actually consider someone else's feelings once in a while.

Yumi walked towards Ulrich's room after showering and changing, feeling guilty about their wager. Not that she didn't want to go out somewhere really nice, just this once, but she knew Ulrich didn't need to spend the money on her. The answer was immediately obvious, cancel the extravagant date and accept something a lot more practical. And it wasn't the place that would make the night good anyway, it would be the company. She knocked on Ulrich's open door since he was on the phone and entered after he waved her in.

"Ok great, thanks." Ulrich hung up and put the pad of paper into his desk after circling a date on his calendar. "Hi Yumi."

"Hey Ulrich... You know I've been thinking and you don't have to take me anywhere as extravagant as the restaurant I suggested. I wasn't really being practical and I'll understand if you don't want to bug your parents for extra money to spend on me."

Ulrich shook his head, "Yumi the money isn't a problem. I've been saving and well, you know Jeremy wouldn't mind loaning me money and neither would Aelita if it came to that, but I've already got the reservation and..." Ulrich trailed off and cursed his nervousness before swallowing and forcing himself to continue. "I was actually looking forward to having a really nice date with you, away from everything and just..." _Come on Ulrich, spit it out. _"Just treating you the way I should have from the beginning."

Yumi beamed and let her first and somewhat uncharacteristic impulse carry her. She moved forward and grabbed Ulrich into a hug, relishing the feeling of her arms around him and his body heat washing over her. His freshly washed body still smelled slightly of soap as she brushed her lips against Ulrich's cheek after he returned the hug. "You know, I think maybe you could make an excellent boyfriend after all."

"CLICK!" The hug, though not as good as catching the couple kissing, would still do nicely when published in Kadic's newspaper.

Ulrich had a hard time finding any sort of insult in the statement. Holding Yumi tightly against himself was a dream come true. That she kissed his cheek rendered him thoughtless for a moment and all too soon it was over. The fading sent of her shampoo and warmth left behind on his clothes a subtle reminder of the joyous closeness they had just shared. He looked to Yumi, her slightly awkward smile was just too perfect and he wished he had a picture of it. The young couple let their gazes linger on one another for a little while longer, each considering the possibility of hugging once again. But the impulsive moment was over and each teen had regained their aversion to outward displays of affection.

"CLICK" Grinning with excitement, he noticed the end of the romantic moment and moved as quietly as possible to pick up and get away. Unfortunately, he bumped the door and it swung open a little more. Without running, as that would be a dead giveaway, he quickly walked down the hall and hoped to either disappear into the next convenient room or, failing that, look like he was just walking around bored instead of spying.

Yumi heard the bump on the door and watched it swing open a little wider with growing curiosity. Ulrich followed her gaze and then followed her as she walked out of the room and into the hallway. Looking to the right, there was no one there and the same was true for the left side. Shrugging and scratching her head, Yumi turned back into the room and helped Ulrich gather anything they thought might be needed at the factory and started talking with him.

As the pair left Kadic, they spied Milly and Tamia offering a special, hot off the press, issue to celebrate Kadic's newest couple. Curious again and feeling worried about the door from 15 minutes earlier she walked up to the young reporters and noticed that they eyed her with fear. The reason why was immediately obvious as the front page had a large picture of her and Ulrich in the tender hug. She glared at Odd and he took off running the second she shouted at him, confirming his guilt.

(())

Odd cursed his luck, having run into Sissi and William as they walked to the factory trapped him and subjected him to an interrogation that only their arrival at the computer lab stopped. The glare from Yumi and Ulrich left no doubt that he'd be given the third degree later. Unless by some miracle Yumi and Ulrich forgot about it. But that was as unlikely as convincing them that he really was innocent. With a resigned sigh, he walked up to the computer terminal and noticed that both Jeremy and Aelita were already on the screen and both wore a frown. Biting back his first comment about how whatever Aelita's surprise went he waved at the couple and forced a thin smile.

Aelita spoke softly, her voice coming over the lab's speaker system. "Odd, what did you do?"

"Nothing," Odd answered defensively. "I swear to you."

Yumi and Ulrich looked at one another and decided to just say it after a moment's hesitation, the two geniuses were going to find out when they saw the picture anyway. "Odd took pictures of us sharing a hug and published them." William and Sissi looked briefly at one another, seeming to share just a little bit of comfort because they both felt a little hurt by the news.

Wondering if this was how Aelita felt when she was trapped in the supercomputer, Jeremy put aside that question and stared into Odd's eyes as best he could. "Odd, did you take the pictures?"

"No! I watched Yumi and Ulrich spar in the gym and if I'd really wanted pictures I could have snapped any number of them." He smiled and decided that it wasn't worth mentioning that getting pictures of Yumi and Ulrich kissing was his whole reason for staying to watch. After all, he did ultimately decide that it was best he didn't take that kind of picture.

"And what were you doing spying on us?" Yumi questioned.

"Well..." Thinking fast he continued, "I had to wait for an opportunity to smuggle Kiwi out undetected since I had to rush into the gym to avoid getting caught with him. Then I got caught up in how impressive it was to see the two of them in action and stayed to watch."

Sissi shook her head, not believing Odd but also not sure who's side to come down on. What Odd was being accused of really did fit into his personality but at the same time there were times when he was really nice to her. A look at William suggested that he was going to stay out of this. Ulrich looked like he was struggling with wanting to believe Odd and knowing that it was well in Odd's character to embarrass a friend for a laugh. "Odd? Did you really..."

"No!" Odd growled, "why won't any of you believe me!"

"It's something you would do?" Sissi ventured hesitantly. "I mean speaking strictly from past experience."

Odd's shoulders slumped and he knew he had to admit that. With a resigned sigh he answered, "I know I would have done it... I just... I didn't, not this time."

Aelita nodded, "I believe you Odd." Everyone looked at Aelita, Odd smiled brightly while Yumi and Ulrich frowned. She continued "Yumi, there is someone else at school that would do that, Hiroki."

With a cross between astonishment and embarrassment she turned away from the computer monitor and her two genius friends. It was definitely a possibility and the only reason she assumed that Odd had taken the pictures was because he had run when they saw him. She had no idea where her little brother was at the moment though she knew he was at the school with Johnny.

Jeremy looked away while Yumi debated her rush to judgment on Odd. As he concentrated he could feel the power of the supercomputer and the flood of data that represented a network connection. Hoping that the perpetrator had sent pictures wirelessly, he hacked the phone company and checked Johnny's phone. Sure enough Hiroki transferred pictures from his phone to Milly's. Closing the links and backtracking he opened his eyes to see Aelita frown with disapproval. Though it wasn't as bad as he might have expected. "It was Hiroki." He gestured and on the screen came up the phone company log of that data transfer.

Now looking sheepish, Yumi, Ulrich, and even Sissi apologized to Odd for assuming that he had taken the pictures and had them published. "Ok," Jeremy announced, hopping to get away from the drama, "now let's get you all to Lyoko so Odd and I can begin his tutoring session and Sissi can explore." Happy to be past this incident, he watched them all go down to the scanner room and virtualized Ulrich, Odd and Yumi.

William flashed Sissi a reassuring smile before he stepped into his scanner. Nodding gratefully at him, she stepped into her designated scanner and waited as the doors closed, plunging her into darkness. Muffled a little by the metal container, she heard Jeremy call out "Transfer William, transfer Sissi" over the intercom. She braced herself and heard, "scanner William, scanner Sissi." Losing her sense of gravity as a burst of air helped her levitate, she felt the tingling of the scanner ring as it traversed up and down her body.

As she waited for the final word, her mind flashed to the reality that there were no bodies left. Terror filled her as she hung helplessly in the scanner, hoping that whatever happened to her body wasn't going to be painful. "Virtualization!" She shut her eyes tightly as a strong gust of wind flowed into the chamber. A pulse of energy rendered her unconsciousness and her body was vaporized in what would have been a blinding flash of light. Sissi awoke to a weird noise and opened her eyes to a strange new world. Lyoko.


	17. Sissi, on Lyoko?

Sissi looked around the virtual classroom that they had all been sequestered in for the past hour. It was a simple but spacious math classroom with faux windows that showed a partly cloudy daytime sky and a rolling green meadow with the occasional tree rising from the ground. The view was probably meant to be cheery without being interesting and if that was the case, well, it succeeded on at least one measure. Turning her head away from the window she glanced at the large tables, noting that Yumi, Ulrich and Aelita were currently occupying one while she and William sat at opposite ends of another. One went unoccupied and Jeremy was trying to teach Odd at the fourth.

Floating above the table that Jeremy and Odd occupied was a bluish hologram with one of the homework problems displayed. Jeremy manipulated the letters with his hands, sounding like he was losing patience with Odd who himself sounded like he was losing patience with Jeremy. Listening to the two work or fight or argue or whatever it was made her miss Lyoko proper. That despite the fall upon entry and the very weird feeling of not having all five senses.

Opening her eyes to the freakish sight of purplish mountains simply floating in the sky had been strange to say the least. But the short fall to the ground and her embarrassing yelp as she started to scream before hitting the ground and landing on her butt was the worst. No one had warned her and all had laughed before William pointed out that everyone had fallen on their first time in. And probably because of the glares that all but Jeremy and Aelita gave him, she had believed him. Recovering some of her dignity, she snickered as she imagined Yumi falling on her ass in front of Ulrich.

Standing up with the assistance of Odd had been the next experience. His hand, his very large, clawed hand, had no texture or warmth to it. Though for some reason she still registered it as feeling something like human despite the fact that it most definitely did not look so. The first look at his purple, cat-like suit resulted in her yanking her hand away and scrambling backwards, falling down once again. From what she had been told by Aelita afterwards, the look on Odd's face had been priceless. Being the laughing stock of the group had not been though and she batted what turned out to be William's hand away as she stood up for herself, turning away from the group in the process.

At least until she saw how close to the edge of the platform, mountain thing she had landed on she was. A backwards scramble to get away from the very long drop to certain death, and she wasn't at all confident in the program that was supposed to recover her if she fell, resulted in her ramming into Ulrich and getting a glare from Yumi. Odd, Aelita and Jeremy found it funny though they had the good sense to constrain their laughter while William helped her up and steadied her.

That gave her the third impression of the virtual world she was in. William looked very different here. He was wearing a white shirt, navy blue and light grey pants that seemed to fit and accentuate his muscle tone in a very flattering way. But the most prominent feature of his Lyoko self was the enormous sword he held beside him. The massive weapon was practically as tall as him, it's tip resting on the ground hear his very high boots and the handle at his shoulder. The blade practically glowed with power and pride and it screamed smug overconfidence. In fact, the weapon seemed to perfectly fit what she knew of the real William. But she couldn't stop herself from wondering how he managed to move around and actually fight with the thing.

Her attention had then turned to the rest of the assembled 'warriors' and she was surprised by their outfits. Instinctively seeking out her competition she first looked over Yumi's Lyoko outfit. The older girl was wearing a very dark body suit with red shorts and boots, dark purple, almost black leggings and a sleeveless top that could have been a one-piece bathing suit. Lighter purple straps came over her shoulders, which were protected with shoulder pads, and came together at her middle where there was a metal looking belt. She also had on fingerless gloves that went almost all the way up to her shoulder. The overall effect was to make Yumi look like a combat ready and battle hardened foe. And she probably was, all things considered.

Feeling self-conscious and somewhat inadequate she scanned over Aelita's form and was assaulted by pink. Two shades of the color made up the form fitting body suit that seemed to run seamlessly from her neck to her toes. While her feet did look like they were booted, there was no discernable separation between the footwear and the rest of the suit. Around her waist was a translucent skirt split into four portions. Traveling upwards she had on a top that looked like a metallic band around her chest. Like Yumi she wore fingerless gloves that went almost all the way to her shoulders. Unlike Yumi she had a star shaped bracelet on her left wrist. All combined the effect was decidedly more playful than Yumi's but stilled conveyed a sense of confidence that could Aelita didn't often display in the real world.

Turning her attention from the two girls, she spied Jeremy while Aelita giggled softly. Apparently Jeremy had been looking her over because he had a contrite expression that was slowly turning amused as his girlfriend kept giggling. Jeremy's mage like blue robes seemed out of place at first. They fit snugly enough around him to show some muscle definition that he most definitely did not have in real life. Like Aelita, Jeremy sported elfin features such as pointed ears and facial markings. His were blue however, and he had a watch instead of a bracelet. It fit Jeremy himself well enough but just didn't make sense with the more battle ready members of his group.

Like Ulrich. Knowing that she shouldn't, she couldn't help herself as she stared. Ulrich was simply too hot for words. The yellow headband fit perfectly with the yellow form fitting suit that showed off his perfect muscles. The brown vest like design on the front matching with the brown boots, shoulder pads and fingerless, long gloves that everyone but Jeremy and William had on. She stared open mouthed at him in wonder for a while and almost fainted as she noticed him seeming to check her out.

Odd snickered, catching her attention, as Yumi smacked Ulrich on the shoulder and he turned away. Her breath caught in her throat and she began to laugh as she took in Odd's purple body suit, cat ears, and tail. the effect was simply too much and she couldn't imagine what could possibly have made Odd look like that. The addition of an image of Kiwi peeing and the Kiwi heads on each of his shoulder pads seemed to make things all the more funny and she ignored Odd as his staring turned into an annoyed glare while she struggled to recover from her laughing fit.

"Odd... you've got to admit the cat outfit is pretty funny." Aelita had teased him.

At that point, Odd looked away at Aelita and actually seemed to have trouble not diverting his attention back. Wondering what she looked like, Sissi turned her attention to herself and looked down, surprised at what she saw. Her golden dress was an elegant affair consisting of a bikini like top supported partially by a pearl necklace. Shimmering gold fabric formed an inverted V that wrapped around her waist leaving her sides and, she assumed, most of her back bare. It continued down her body until if formed a skirt that ended at her mid thighs. Like everyone but William she was empty handed but that didn't matter. The other girls may have looked ready for a fight but she looked elegant, regal even.

"Sissi!"

The call of her name brought her out of her reverie and she looked up to see William waiting for her. Apparently they were all abandoning the simulation bubble and she jumped up, happy to be leaving the boring space. A glance back told her Aelita and Odd were staying behind and she couldn't help but wonder what was going on as she followed the others out.

[[]]

Aelita walked over to the table were Jeremy was attempting to tutor Odd with the logarithms Mrs. Mayes assigned as homework. Her boyfriend was starting to sound irritated and Odd seemed distracted which was probably why Jeremy was reaching the limits of his patience. A quick look around provided the answer, though it wasn't what she would have liked as there was no solution in sight. Having everybody bored within the simulation bubble and waiting on him was grating on Odd. But she knew, from the fit he threw before being half dragged and half cajoled into the tutoring session, that knowing everyone was outside playing would be just as distracting as having everyone inside. "Jeremy?"

Turning to face Aelita, Jeremy answered her "yes?"

"Why don't you take the others outside the dome and maybe give Sissi's character card a look and figure out what her abilities are."

Nodding gratefully, he answered "ok, thanks." After turning away and taking a few steps he turned back towards Aelita, "you sure you want to handle Odd?"

"I'll be fine... He knows how much meaner I can be than you." She replied with a bit of a laugh. She let her eyes linger on Jeremy while he lead everyone else out of the bubble and threw a last, somewhat worried look at her before his form rippled through the classroom door and vanished. With a sigh, she turned around to face Odd, "you know, Jeremy would go a lot easier on you if you'd just give this an honest effort."

"It's not that I'm not working Aelita, it's that... Jeremy just isn't a good teacher."

"He's not doing your work for you, neither will I." Aelita stated as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You need to learn to do this yourself."

Odd shook his head, though he really did want someone to just copy from as he did in days past. "I know that but Jeremy just barrels on ahead like this is the simplest and most interesting stuff in the world."

"I know" Aelita answered, looking down at Odd's problem sheet and realizing that Jeremy could do every single problem there in his head and further realizing that she could as well. "But it's not like you're helping the situation. Jeremy's getting frustrated."

"But how can he expect me to know all of this instantly?"

"He doesn't," Aelita replied raising her voice. "But he expects you to honestly try."

"I am!" Odd cried out, "but it's never good enough for him... Even Yumi's lightened up on me and Jeremy just keeps pushing."

"Jeremy..." Aelita paused, momentarily unsure how to explain this to Odd. "Jeremy expects you to give more than one hundred percent all the time, just like he does."

"That's not possible, even he should know that."

"He does." Aelita snapped before continuing more gently. "Or at least he's learning to. But you know your selfishness isn't helping."

"My selfishness?" Odd demanded indignantly. "I've given..."

"STOP!" Aelita shouted, growing angry with the boy. Forcing her tone back to a more neutral level she continued. "While Jeremy fought for all of us we lived the life he wanted to. And now, when Jeremy has a chance to learn to live life in balance we have this. He works out practice problems in painstaking detail so that you and Ulrich and even Yumi and William have ready access to the help you need. All last night Jeremy went over and over this same material to help the rest of us while you went girl chasing. Now you're using his free time to study and not even giving him the benefit of your full attention. He's got every right to be mad at you."

"What would he be doing instead? Working on a program or a robot?" Odd spat.

"Or maybe learning to ride an Overboard with me."

Odd responded instantly, scoffing at the idea. "Aelita, Jeremy wouldn't ride that if you promised..."

"Don't. Do not finish that statement." Aelita warned in a dangerous tone. "Riding the overboard was exactly what he and I spent the morning doing, no promise besides that I'd take it easy on him for the first few minutes required."

Odd sat silent for a full minute then made a face and burst out laughing. "That's really great Aelita... Jeremy on the overboard." The images of all the ways Jeremy could screw that up giving him some much needed entertainment. Somewhere in his laughter he noticed that Aelita wasn't amused in the slightest and the thought sobered him almost instantly.

[[]]

Yumi took a look at Jeremy's sour expression and walked over to him, Ulrich following behind her. The yellow clad boy spoke up as they approached. "You know Odd isn't really doing that badly. I mean in his other subjects he's improved considerably. Math just isn't his thing. In fact, it's probably his worst subject."

"I know." Jeremy replied as he calmed down. "I really just lost it with him and-"

"It's all right," Yumi soothed, "Aelita's got your back on this one. Just try not to let Odd get to you so much. Hard as it may be to believe-"

"He really is trying," Jeremy finished for her. "I know and the improvement in his science and literature work is amazing."

"Then focus on that Jeremy. You didn't learn to use the supercomputer instantly and Odd won't learn to be a good student overnight." Yumi smiled a little and added, "Odd can't push himself like you can and if he can't push himself, no one else can either. But Jeremy, we all know that no matter how selfish the kid can be, he'll find a way to come through for us in the end."

"Yeah, just like all the times you wouldn't go to Lyoko. But when you really had to for the good of the team you managed to."

Jeremy smiled up at Yumi and then at Ulrich, "thanks guys."

Yumi's look of reproach at Ulrich's statement about Jeremy and Lyoko melted away as she saw Jeremy didn't take any real offense at it. In fact, it seemed to be just the reminder he needed to recover. Glancing at Sissi and William Yumi looked back down at Jeremy and asked, "so what can they do?"

Jeremy tapped on his interface and pulled up William's diagnostic interface as Sissi and the aforementioned boy walked over. "Well, William actually has some of his supersmoke ability. He can transform into a ball of the stuff and basically move as fast as Ulrich. But he can't attack in that state though it would be nearly impossible to hit or trap him while he's a ball of smoke."

"And me?" Sissi questioned.

Jeremy tapped a few panels and a new image appeared on the floating computer interface. His eyes scanned the data presented and he turned to regard the girl. "First concentrate a bit and you should find your weapon."

Sissi looked at him like he was an idiot, "Where am I going to be hiding a weapon in this." She gestured down to her luxurious dress.

Yumi reached behind her and pulled her fans. Taking the hint, Jeremy held out his free hand and allowed a blue energy field to form in the palm. "This isn't the real world Sissi. You don't have to hide a weapon to be carrying it. Now hold out your hand and concentrate. If it helps you want a jeweled scepter to appear."

Giving Jeremy an incredulous look she noticed everyone looking expectantly at her and waffled between yelling that what they wanted her to do was impossible to save her dignity and trying with the idea that Jeremy wouldn't be making jokes at her expense. Finally she decided and hold out her hand, focusing on making a nonexistent item appear out of thin air. When her arm suddenly felt heavy her jaw dropped and she started at the object that had simply shimmered into existence. It was indeed a jeweled scepter. Just a bit shorter than arms length, the shaft was made out of a shiny white metal that looked like platinum and had a wonderful spiral design to it. At the top was an ornate cage that held a large diamond within. At the very tip of the scepter, where the wire cage came together, was another gem that glowed with a soft, yellow light. Impressed with herself she looked up at Jeremy.

"So what does it do?" William asked.

"Well it's her weapon. Looks like she can use it as a temporary shield and it creates short ranged energy wave when slashed. It also focuses her Lyoko power, giving her the ability to charm and take control of a single monster."

Yumi and Ulrich looked between Sissi and Jeremy once before Yumi said "I can think of a few times when that would have come in handy."

"Yeah," both Jeremy and Ulrich agreed.

"So when do we get to fight?" William asked, drawing all attention to him.

"Fight?" Sissi asked. "What are we going to fight?"

"Well usually we fight monsters." Ulrich answered, eyeing William. "But we can fight each other."

William locked his gaze on Ulrich. "You're on Stern."

"Or we could fight monsters." Jeremy interjected as he tapped a few more controls. A moment later Ulrich and William's staring competition ended as everyone turned to watch a small set of Kankrelats materialize. Sissi shrieked and backed away from the small, bug-like monsters while everyone else advanced on the set of six. The shrill whine of lasers powering up quickly ended the curious looks and all weapons were made ready. Jeremy meanwhile stood back, having had to program the bugs with their targets, he wisely left himself out of the list. He was mildly impressed that all of XANA's monsters had their own, independent though simple, A.I. subroutines so that they could act without XANA's direct control.

[[]]

Odd looked up from his second to last problem and checked the clock in the room. It had taken him 45 minutes to get here and now that he was almost done his mind was starting to wander again. Among the thoughts distracting him were a question on how Sissi was doing on Lyoko and a more general curiosity on what the entire group of friends were doing. "Aelita, do you think they're having fun out there?"

Frowning, Aelita answered "you've got two more questions and then you can go see for yourself."

Odd turned back towards his two remaining problems and worked out one of them. When he had finished he turned back towards Aelita, "can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"How do you not find all of this boring?"

"I actually do... Odd, I could do your entire assignment in my head and so could Jeremy. There's no challenge here, it's all just busy work to us. But if you're really asking why I don't find programming and higher level math boring then it's because it's not. There's a real challenge in it and an opportunity to be every bit as creative as when I mix music."

"How can you be creative with math and science? Both are so full of _unbreakable_ rules that's there no room for freedom."

"And yet it's math and science that created this whole virtual world. Math and science simply give us the tools to affect our world, it's like... It's like a mixing board really. The user's skill and creativity make the board's rigidly defined functions into great music. Jeremy and I do the same thing with our programs that you do with pencil and paper."

"But it's not the same Aelita... I don't have to think to create art, I just have to do. It's fun, not work."

"Actually, it's a bit of both really. Tell me Odd, did you have to learn that certain colors work well together and other's don't? When you make a new mix, do you just randomly push levers and turn knobs? There's a sort of science behind it that you just intuitively get but that you also had to learn."

"Yeah, I think I see your point. I don't know though, I mean you loved the thrill of flying on the overboard. I saw you up on that stage with the Subdigitals and I know you enjoyed that. Where is the emotion, the thrill, the danger... You know the general feeling of being more alive than everyone else?"

"To a point I did and on that stage, you're right, I really did feel alive and amazed that my music was giving others so much pleasure. But that's not all I need Odd. True, I've lived without the senses you take for granted and-"

"Which makes my point." Odd interrupted her. "Why do you want to compress the world into meaningless equations and numbers? You should be out there enjoying everything the life we won you has to offer."

With an annoyed huff at being interrupted, Aelita answered. "I'm trying to, and I'm making sure Jeremy gets to as well. But try to understand something here, just basking in my senses isn't enough for me. I'm still as curious as when I first came out of the computer. Older, wiser and less naive but still curious. It's not enough to just see the world for me and so it's amazing and fun to learn how it all works. Think of it as you being behind the stage at the Subdigitals concert. I saw you watching in wonder as they set up everything and the band members hung out without the usual fanfare. The math and science is the same for me, my own personal behind the scenes tour of the world."

"I think I get it and... Jeremy's robots were always kind of cool. But I think knowing how they work takes some of the coolness away."

"And I think it just makes the machines all the more impressive," Aelita answered with a smile. "When I'm here in Lyoko I can see behind the textures you see on the walls and the desks. I can see the data flowing and the geometry that underlies this entire virtual world. And if I don't like it, I can close my eyes and sing, imagining how I want the landscape to change and laying out the geometry before asserting my will and watching it happen. You how no idea how much power I have in that and... Math and science can give that same power in the real world."

Odd smiled, though it held some amount of sadness. He had never really considered that there could be the same sort of power in the sciences as he had in his art and skateboarding. But to hear Aelita talk about it, to hear the inflections in her voice that told how much truth there was in her words, he knew she wasn't just acting to cover an indebtedness to Jeremy. "Ok princess. I just wanted to make sure you weren't..." Odd paused for a moment and was grateful for Aelita's patient and silent gaze. "I wanted to make sure you were enjoying the life we all won for you."

Aelita smiled gratefully, "thanks Odd and I am. I'm slowly but surely getting Jeremy out of his shell and I think he's enjoying that as much as I'm enjoying exploring the mysteries behind everything in the world he and the rest of my family worked so hard to make me a part of."

Odd nodded, and turned his attention back to the remaining homework problem while he mulled over what Aelita had said. Partly, he was hoping to find out that Jeremy and Aelita weren't working out as a couple. But that's not the sense he got from her and in a rare moment of thinking of someone else before himself, he let the idea of asking Aelita to leave Jeremy for him go. More because he didn't want to risk Aelita's happiness than out of any sort of loyalty to Jeremy. She had lost so much already that it just didn't seem right to ask knowing that he would dump her in a heartbeat if he fell for the next girl to catch his eye. That didn't mean he couldn't tease her though. "So how were all those dry, working dates you two had here in the factory?"

"Odd," Aelita smiled gently as she considered some of the jokes they left for each other in the comments and variable names in the programs they worked on. "It wasn't always just work for Jeremy and I. When we were on the same page, finishing each other's sentences and codes, marveling at the ways around the systems of Lyoko we each found and laughing at the jokes we exchanged-"

"Wait wait wait" Odd interjected quickly, "Jeremy telling jokes? Now that I don't believe."

Aelita chuckled, "ok so it was more like riddles we left for each other. Word games and things like that. Sometimes they were funny, but they always helped break the tension of all our hard work."

"So all those times I imagined you rotting away, slaving in front of a computer terminal, you and Jeremy actually spent the late nights flirting?" The accusation was clear in his voice.

Aelita laughed. "Not only can I not blush here in Lyoko Odd, but I don't think that would be enough to cause me to blush in the real world either." She smiled before adding in a light tone, "Now get back to work so we can go outside and play."

"Already missing your boyfriend?" Odd quipped.

"Odd..."

[[]]

Sissi watched in awe as the large red monsters called Krabes fought with the lyoko warriors. William hefted his oversized sword and cleaved one almost completely in half while Ulrich raced towards another one, dodging lasers as a long yellow streak. Yumi jumped and was doing back-flips about the battlefield as she dodged lasers that her Krabe was firing at her. Jeremy simply sat back, content to tap on his display and summon more monsters as the warriors dispatched them with relative ease. A holler caught her attention and she watched Yumi throw her fans which turned into purple and white flat, Frisbee-like objects that seemed to defy physics as they flew over the Krab and then down into it, slicing into the symbol on the top before returning to Yumi's hands.

In all honesty it really didn't look that hard and yet the blue sparking effect when one of them was hit and the momentary look of shock made her fear the pain that would come with getting shot. There didn't seem to be a reason to actually rush into the fight and risk injury just for the thrill of fighting monsters. A buzzing noise caught her attention and she gasped as a group of flying monsters swooped overhead and began firing on the warriors. But by now she was growing accustomed to the weirdness of the creatures that were part of this place. What she didn't count on was one breaking from the swarm and closing in on her. The ugly bug pulled itself into a hover and flicked its tail at her, the red laser approaching all too fast.

She brought her scepter up too slowly and stumbled back, clutching her shoulder as electric blue sparks emanated from it. Yet as much as it shocked her, as the sparking faded there was no blood, no burn mark and no lingering pain. The bug-like creature shifted position and swung its tail at her again, sending another streak of red light that impacted her stomach before she could bring her scepter into position to block it. But the rapid motion of the scepter drew a golden arc that expanded forward a short distance before dissipating. Unnoticed by her as she dealt with the shock of being shot a second time, the monster was enveloped in a blue net and then exploded.

She looked across the battlefield in the direction of Jeremy's voice and heard him say, "... that, I'll exclude you from the target list."

Looking at the others while they bravely fought their own monsters, leaping and blocking while Yumi's fans sailed towards the aerial targets, she felt wholly unworthy of being here. She absently nodded yes to Jeremy and wandered over to him, considering asking to be sent back to earth so she could go back to school. This was just not a place where she belonged. Sighing, she opened her mouth but, for reasons she didn't understand herself, instead of asking for a trip home she instead asked him why he didn't join in the fight.

"I'd be willing to bet that Aelita would ask me the same thing if she were here right now," Jeremy answered in a surprised tone. "I'm not a fighter like them. I plan things out and program but I don't fight, I just don't get the enjoyment out of it that the others do. I guess in a way I'd rather create things than destroy them."

Turning away, Sissi considered his answer and considered staying. But Jeremy had been with the group from the beginning and she joined on the spur of the moment at Yumi's invitation. Of course it really hadn't been that simple and she had hoped that things would turn out better than they were here. Though in the past week she had been allowed to study with the group and it seemed to go over ok. She turned her head back towards Jeremy as he spoke, his voice wavering as if he wasn't really sure what he was actually supposed to do or say.

"Aerial monsters are always the hardest to deal with for people with short ranged weapons. You, Ulrich and William can dodge and block the lasers but you have no really effective means to attack them since they can easily stay out of range." He gestured to William who seemed like he should be getting tired with the way he was using his sword to defend against his attackers. "The best strategy is usually to block lasers while Yumi, Odd or Aelita use their ranged weapons to take them out." He frowned, seeing that the technical explanation for her poor performance wasn't helping. Taking an unnecessary breath he was saved from explaining his first performance on Lyoko by the shout of "LASER ARROW!"

The aforementioned projectiles rained down on the battlefield from above while a few well placed blobs of pink energy encased and destroyed the few remaining Krabes. All of the carnage was missed by Sissi who stared wide-eyed and jealous of Aelita's approach. Her graceful wings flapping as they guided her towards Jeremy and flaring outwards as she stopped and rose to a vertical orientation before dropping lightly to the ground. A casual swipe of her hand across the star shaped bracelet caused her wings to retract and she smiled at Jeremy and the awestruck girl beside him. "They were a gift from Jeremy."

Sissi stared wide eyed at Jeremy, uncertain how to reconcile the fact that Jeremy had given Aelita one of the most romantic gifts she could imagine, angel's wings, with the boy who had so often been neglectful of Aelita in the past.

"So is everyone having fun?" Aelita asked.

"No" Jeremy answered honestly, "One of the hornets attacked Sissi and she didn't do so well."

"I..." Sissi fumed before being cut off by Aelita.

"You never saw Jeremy try to fight on Lyoko and from what I've heard," Aelita started off with a mischievous and slightly evil smile, "saying he didn't do so well is being generous. But really, it took everyone, even Yumi, some time to acclimate to fighting here and really master their weapons. "She looked at Jeremy who nodded, not needing words to guess what Aelita wanted. "I can help you get used to fighting here if you'd like."

Both Sissi and Jeremy looked appreciatively at Aelita while the others, having defeated all the monsters gathered around. Jeremy signaled the approaching group and led them away, offering some of the more difficult monsters to play with, the Megatanks, Mantas and Tarantulas. With everyone's attention focused elsewhere, he spawned some of the lower monsters for Aelita and Sissi to practice with, setting the weapons on them to do far less than normal damage.

* * *

A/N: I think we'll stop here and see how Sissi does with her powers in the next chapter. When I started this interlude thing to take a break from the heavy drama, I never planned on it going this long. But it seems to be working so I'll go with it.


	18. The old game is new again

Sissi twirled around, the golden ribbon of energy forming an expanding spiral with her at the center and slicing into the set of 3 bloks that had her surrounded. It would have been an impressive move except for one small thing, most of Sissi's upper body was sparking from the five direct hits the bloks had scored on her. Forcing herself to smile as she helped Sissi up, Aelita watched the last pieces of the bloks flicker out of existence, "next time jump away from the monsters. Even if you don't kill them all, it's better than losing the fifty life points that victory would have cost you." She turned to Jeremy, "how about we work on her special power for a little while?"

Jeremy nodded and summoned a single blok, setting its laser power to the minimum, 1 point per hit. "Ok, there you go. It has no directives so it'll just sit there forever."

Sissi looked at Aelita, "so how does this work?"

Aelita shrugged and looked at Sissi's scepter. "Usually, you just know how to use your power. Try to envision yourself in control of that specific monster."

Closing her eyes, Sissi demanded access the blok standing in front of her and suddenly felt something strange. Jeremy and Aelita watched as the large diamond caged within the scepter began to glow with white light and a similar aura appeared around the blok. It stayed like that for a second and then the glow within the diamond faded, leaving an image of the blok imprisoned within it. Sissi opened her eyes, and stared out at Lyoko through two sets of eyes, one seeming to be the blok's and the other her own. The confusion evident in her expression concerned Aelita for a moment.

Sissi struggled to comprehend this new development, to gain some sort of perspective on her world. The double vision, overlapped yet not, from two different sources was starting to give her a headache. Staring at herself, her human form seeing the block and knowing it was her while the block form looked on her human form with the same knowledge. It didn't make sense, causing her to wonder where she really was and how the two views lined up with the world that was supposed to be there. Lost and beginning to panic as she attempted to move and got shifting perceptions of her motion from her vision and both bodies, something changed. The blok's vision was removed from her viewpoint and compressed into a small window that just seemed to float off to the side. Complete control of the blok's body was also removed from her and she found that it was simply waiting for instructions.

Jeremy and Aelita's concerned expressions faded as Sissi seemed to regain her composure. She had taken a few stumbling steps and looked completely out of it for a moment and now seemed fine. Frowning to each other, they took a step towards their new friend and stopped in their tracks when the block began to walk around and Sissi's lips curved into a smile. "I think she's got it."

Jeremy nodded in agreement and brought another blok into existence some distance away. "Why don't you practice your control over the blok." With that, Jeremy turned his attention back to his screens and looked at the stats from the rest of the group. Yumi had 40 lifepoints, Odd had 50, Ulrich and William were both down to 20. Frowning, he began to access some of Lyoko's controls and hit upon an idea. A simple one though it would take a few minutes to implement.

Aelita's head jerked up as she felt a familiar and usually fear inducing sensation. Around her Lyoko began to thrum with energy and she could feel the flow of data change. Ever since Jeremy had designed the superscan, she hadn't needed to visualize the pulsations created by an active tower, but that didn't mean she couldn't still feel them. Turning away from Sissi, who was now managing to direct the block and still mostly succeeding in blocking lasers, she shouted to Jeremy. "Did you activate a tower?"

"Yes." Jeremy called back calmly. He tapped one more button and a set of green beams lanced out from the top of the tower and hit everyone on Lyoko. Projecting his voice into the communication system, Jeremy spoke. "The beam is a program to access your forms and restore your life points. Once that's done, you can all escort Aelita to the tower and she'll deactivate it." Jeremy's voice took on a challenging tone, "unless my monsters de-virtualize her first."

Never one to allow such a challenge to go un-answered, the entire team walked over and formed a protective circle around a grinning Aelita. Speaking for her warriors, and adopting a mock royal tone, she said "my fair knights accept your challenge sir."

Odd laughed while the others nodded their agreement. But as he turned away to focus on the distant tower with the green haze surrounding it, he turned back towards Jeremy. "You know XANA and his monsters never managed to defeat us Einstein, what makes you think you can?"

Jeremy smiled and Yumi regarded her old friend for a moment before answering, "he's not XANA and he knows how we fight. Better not underestimate him Odd."

William looked up and brandished his oversized sword, "Oh come on Yumi, it won't be that difficult."

"I don't know William," Ulrich started off, "Jeremy's a good tactician and with monsters fighting his battle for him, it'll be more difficult than you think."

"I guess we'll see." William answered back derisively.

"And you'll probably be the first to be de-virtualized and-"

"Enough!" Aelita yelled, not wanting William to be reminded of what happened the first time he was sent to Lyoko. "We should make our way to the tower before Jeremy surrounds us." She waved at Jeremy and took off in the direction of the tower.

Odd looked back over his shoulder, "catch us if you can Einstein."

"I'm not going to go easy on you guys just because you're my friends," Jeremy retorted.

"I'd be disappointed if you did." Aelita called over her shoulder.

"No cheating Jeremy," William yelled out. "Monsters only but none of your Lyoko powers."

Jeremy laughed and turned away to spread out his tactical displays. He set up a trap near the tower using three tarantulas positioned such that they could offer overlapping fields of fire on the tower approach path. Next he created a set of four krabes and two megatanks to delay them. He focused on the battle as it started to unfold, deciding to forego airpower since Odd hadn't taken the overboard Aelita requested for him when he was finished with his homework.

Having watched his friends battle XANA over the years, Jeremy realized that XANA had made a critical mistake in only rarely taking direct control of his forces. Usually, based on the way he had observed the monsters fight today, XANA just gave them simple directives and let them do their own thing. But robots couldn't quite match human intelligence and if he wanted to win, he needed to rectify that shortcoming. So he decided to use a manageable number of monsters and focus on directing them, tweaking their directives to prevent them from being led away or confused.

[[]]

Yumi growled in frustration as the Megatank slammed its shell closed and her fans once again bounced off without harming the machine. She spared a glance as Odd as he scaled a boulder to take a few shots at a krabe while Sissi tried to keep it busy by swiping her scepter at it and forcing it to dodge the waves of energy it created. Ulrich was on her right side, attempting his triangulation on one Krabe while William faced off with the other mega tank. Two krabes stood off to the side, frustrating the warriors efforts by providing cover fire.

William was jolted by a shot to his back and he saw the two krabes that were providing suppressive fire converge on him. He smirked and started blocking fire as he approached the new opponents. Using his supersmoke ability he zoomed around behind the farthest krabe and up until he was over it. Then he came out of the effect and his sword crashed down on the red monster.

Jeremy snickered as he watched the monitors, he hadn't really given William much choice but to face the two krabes. Unfortunately for Ulrich, that left the megatank William had been keeping busy free and he sent it towards the samurai.

The megatank ignored the battle as it rolled towards Ulrich before shifting itself to the 'side', placing its laser lens parallel with the ground. On the command, it opened its shell and charged the elliptical laser emitter that made it such a feared opponent.

Sissi watched the krabe that she and Odd had been fighting explode into a shower of purple light and took a moment to bask in Odd's praise. She was, quite frankly, amazed that she had been able to help out at all. She turned around to see where the next battle was and shouted at Ulrich.

Ulrich heard the shout and turned towards Sissi, catching sight of the megatank and its charged laser at the very edge of his vision. The krabe he was fighting shot and one of the clones flew away, fading into a wireframe. The other clone jumped up to attack the krabe while the real Ulrich dropped to the ground. The red circle of death expanded outwards, barely grazing his head but the arrows fired by Odd at the creature moved it and the beam swept across the other clone, destroying both it and the krabe.

Sissi ran towards Ulrich as William flew there and together with Odd the four of them surrounded the megatank that had intended to kill Ulrich. But there was a major problem, the giant ball was pretty much invulnerable to everything except...

"Energy field" Aelita called out as the pink sphere of plasma flew from her hand.

Jeremy frowned as the team moved on, now free of his initial attack. But that wasn't all he could do and he set about preparing the next attack.

"See, that wasn't so bad" William declared.

"Yeah, there was no need to hide princess, you could have fought." Odd added.

"I figured it might be a good idea to hold back and watch. I doubt that was all Jeremy could come up with after all."

"And Ulrich can't use his triangulation or triplication now and we're a long ways from the tower yet." Yumi added.

"But Jeremy can only send a limited number of monsters and we took out six of them, right?" Sissi asked as she tried to figure out the new rules.

"No." Aelita answered as she noticed bloks and hornets ahead. "He can pretty much spawn as many monsters as he wants. There's a limit to how many can be around at once but Jeremy could replace the ones we destroy indefinitely."

"Oh..." Sissi answered with a note of hopelessness, "so then how do we win?"

"Jeremy wants to prove he doesn't need to overwhelm us. We just need to outdo his ability to multitask," Yumi answered in a confident voice.

"Easier said than done Yumi," Aelita responded.

"Don't be so negative." William yelled. "We'll win because that's what we do."

Ulrich bristled slightly at the thought of being we with William but found it wasn't as bad a feeling as he may have thought it would be. Sissi meanwhile, ran with the group and hoped that it didn't get too rough. Unlike everyone else, she wasn't really finding this all that much fun.

[[]]

William sat down in the big chair and watched the progress on the monitor, having been the first to be de-virtualized. As embarrassing as it was to go out first, it had to happen. His sacrifice had saved Yumi and drawn a grateful smile from the raven-haired beauty. And seeing as such small tokens were all he would be getting, he had burned the image into his mind. Not that it was all that pleasant a thought but it was all he had. Sighing, he spoke into the microphone, telling them that he was heading back to school because he was hungry. It was a lie, but it was better than being left here to consider his life while the others continued playing their game.

On Lyoko, Jeremy's voice called down everyone's stats: Aelita having 70 lifepoints, Odd having 50, Ulrich at 60, Sissi at 40 and Yumi at 30. He also advised them that they were nearing the tower but remained silent on what to expect when they got there. Yumi frowned, though her telekinesis trick had helped make short work of the bloks, she had been coated in the acid that a hornet sprayed while she was too busy concentrating. William then threw himself at her, breaking her concentration and preventing her de-virtualization but taking the brunt of the fire meant for her. By the time Sissi had managed to take control of the attacking hornet and collide it with the last blok it was too late for William.

"I see the tower!" Aelita exclaimed as she suddenly dove for the ground under the barrage of laser from the tarantulas Jeremy had hidden. "Jeremy-"

She was cut off by Odd as he smashed into her, forcing her back to the ground and narrowly avoiding the megatanks that came crashing through the group from behind.

"As much as Jeremy hates those things, he's certainly using them a lot," Ulrich grumbled while he deflected laser bolts to cover Odd and Aelita.

"They're some of the most powerful monsters," Yumi answered. "Even if they do **cheat**!" She yelled up to the sky on the assumption that Jeremy could hear her.

Sissi looked at the tower, "just run to it and get inside." She stepped out unto the path that lead to the plateau the tower was on and got pulled back by Odd just in time to avoid getting hit with the barrage of laser fire the three tarantulas put out. She flashed a grateful smile to Odd and he smiled back.

Aelita looked over the situation, they were on a plateau with several large boulders and would need to cross a narrow bridge to reach the platform the tower was on. The three megatanks rolling towards them came from the top of the mountain that the warriors had cut through via a tunnel. So there was really nowhere to go since the outlet of the tunnel they had come from was above them.

"Sissi," Ulrich snapped, "take control of one the megatanks and we'll use it for cover as we cross the bridge."

"And get shredded by the overgrown spiders when we hit the tower platform?" Aelita disagreed. Looking around, she felt the familiar sensation of Lyoko diverting resources to her. Time slowed to a standstill from her perspective and she envisioned the grid of triangles that made up the landscape. Carefully she drew out the new geology of the landscape, adding a curtain of rock to block the tarantulas line of fire to the platform they were on. Her singing voice rang across Lyoko as time returned to normal. The effect of time un-stretching was unsettling but she shook it off with ease as she got up and watched her wall form.

"Ok Sissi," Yumi called out to issue orders while she backed away from the megatanks. "You need to keep control of one tank at all times so we can use it for cover. Aelita fly away and don't get shot down, you need to stay safe regardless of what happens. Ulrich, Odd, you two need to take down the tanks. We need to protect me." She choked out that last sentence, hating to make herself sound weak but knowing that her telekinesis would be necessary since they could no longer count on Aelita's creativity. "While destroying the tanks."

Sissi concentrated and pulled one of the four tanks from Jeremy's grasp, sending it to act as a shield for Yumi. Then she watched Aelita reluctantly take off and lob an energy field at one tank before being driven off by a squadron of mantas. Jeremy seemed to be pulling out all the stops and yet they had made it this far. She grit her teeth, as much as it was possible on Lyoko anyway, and tried to keep one of the three remaining megatanks occupied. She was actually doing a decent job and even if she never managed to defeat her opponent, she was distracting it enough to allow Ulrich and Odd to fight their own monsters without worrying about hers.

Sissi waved her scepter and saw the golden ribbon of energy spark harmlessly against the metal ball and groaned in frustration. Apparently the things weren't being allowed to open and fire their main weapon because all they tried to do was run the warriors over. Jumping to the side as the tank thundered past and bumped into the rock walls on either side of the bridge, she noticed that Yumi had been backed into a corner by Odd's tank. It opened up, the eye of XANA in the wrong position for Odd to hit easily and Sissi immediately focused on taking over its controls.

Jeremy never even had a chance to stop what happened next really. He had forgotten about the megatank that Sissi was controlling as he managed the other two and the areal battle with Aelita. The automated alarm caught his attention and he did a double take as he watched Ulrich plummet towards the digital sea. Thinking fast, he linked the idle but active tower's processing power to the scanner and de-virtualization program, ran it on Ulrich and stopped the attack routines for the monsters he controlled. The result being the nearly instant recovery of Ulrich and a pause in the two battles being fought near his tower. A check of the lab's security cameras confirmed that Ulrich had returned to earth safe and sound.

Yumi caught her fans as they returned after sailing through the place that Ulrich would have been had Jeremy not brought him back. The megatanks and the 1 remaining manta stood still and Aelita blasted all four as she flew back to her friends. Yumi turned and glared at Sissi, her eyes forming ice cold lasers that drilled into the girl and caused her to raise her scepter defensively. "You could have killed him." She snarled as she launched her fans.

"Yumi-"

"Shut up Odd." Yumi yelled to stop the boy from getting into trouble by defending Sissi.

Sissi raised her scepter and batted Yumi's fans away from herself then ran to take cover behind a boulder.

"Get back here you little coward." Yumi called out angrily.

"Yumi, Ulrich's ok and in the lab." Jeremy announced over the communication system as he also pulled up Aelita's board so that he could get to the tower more quickly. When he stepped onto it however, he wished he'd chosen the overwing instead. Still he took off, though at a more sedate pace than Aelita would have, and hoped he had learned well enough to manage on his own. The daunting drop didn't make him feel better and he settled on taking an overland path, telling himself that even though it wasn't the most efficient course it was still faster than if he'd tried to run.

"Yumi, Ulrich's ok." Aelita echoed Jeremy, "you don't need to do this."

In the lab Ulrich took pity on Sissi and managed to direct a communication to her alone. "Fight her, even if you lose it'll help you earn Yumi's respect and that'll go a long ways."

Sissi gulped and hesitated, wondering again if she really wanted this. Noticing Yumi round the corner, she ran for another area of cover, but stumbled as one of the fans grazed her arms. Seeing Yumi approach, Sissi acted on survival instinct and slashed at her. Yumi back flipped away from the stream of energy and smiled very slightly. She threw her fans at the retreating girl's form and caught them after they sailed over Sissi's prone from. Sissi scrambled up, grateful for the shouted warning from Odd and ran away again. Yumi continued to advance. Ulrich's voice from the sky told her to stand her ground instead of running.

But she still wasn't sure about whether or not that was a wise idea. There was no way she really stood a chance against Yumi. Herve and Nicholas didn't really deserve to be hanging around her and yet she let them bask in her presence and enjoy her elevated social status without earning it. Why now, after being invited in, was she being challenged? She had earned her entrance by saving Odd that night and the way everyone wanted to calm Yumi down, it seemed they all believed that too. Granted she had accidently sent Ulrich plunging towards his potential death, but that was an accident.

"We let you into the group without having done any of the work or taking any of the risks we all lived with for years." Yumi ground out. "And now you come here and nearly kill one of us."

"It was an accident." Sissi shouted as she circled the boulder to get away from Yumi.

"It was selfish, careless behavior. Maybe an attempt to impress Ulrich by saving me," Yumi said as she continued to calmly walk around the boulder and towards Sissi.

Aelita and Odd both sighed with frustration but knew that pleading with Yumi wasn't a good solution since it wasn't going to work. Sissi had acted to save Yumi and it was perfectly understandable to the two of them and probably to Ulrich. Jeremy landed shakily beside Aelita and watched with a worried expression He tapped his watch to send Sissi back to earth but was stopped by Aelita.

"Is that what you think?" Sissi said, growing angry at the accusation. Stepping away from the boulder, she readied her scepter and looked at Yumi. "I am a girl of my word. I tried to save you because that was the first thing I thought of when I saw you in danger. I'm-"

Yumi threw one fan and waited a second before throwing the second one.

Sissi cut herself off as she blocked the first fan and narrowly dodged the second one. Forcing her usual cowardliness to the side for a moment, she swung her weapon at Yumi, forcing the older girl to jump to the side. Twirling, she slashed again and watched Yumi slip under the wave of energy.

Yumi Jumped up as soon as the wave passed over her head and lunged at the girl, forcing her to use her scepter to block the fans. Dropping, she swept her leg across the floor but had to leap back when Sissi's flailing arms created a knot of waves that she had to get away from.

Sissi scrambled to her feet while Yumi rose gracefully. Hoping to catch the girl off guard, Sissi rushed towards her and yelped as Yumi grabbed and threw her in the direction of her lunge, causing her to fall and then skid along the ground. Luckily she tumbled once and managed to end up on her back so she was just barely able to catch Yumi's fans on the handle of her weapon and deflect them away.

Yumi caught her fans just as Sissi collided with her, sending them both to the ground. The struggle was one sided and despite Sissi pressing all her weight into Yumi with handle of her scepter, she was thrown off. Yumi rolled once, snatched one of her fans from where it had fallen after being knocked out of her hand, and threw it before getting up.

Sissi picked herself up and ran at Yumi, side stepping the fan she threw and hoping to catch the older girl off guard. But if the energy waves Sissi threw at the black-haired girl worried her, she didn't show it. Seeing Yumi dive at the other fan from a standing position, she altered her course to make sure she didn't miss when she sprang on the dark clothed teen.

Yumi grabbed her fan and used the momentum from her dive along with the strength of her arms to push herself into the air and land standing up. She raised her fan and swept it across Sissi's chest. Watching Sissi de-virtualize, she casually reached up and caught the returning fan then turned her attention to the sky. Surprising everyone except Ulrich, she said "Ulrich, tell Sissi that for her first real fight, she did a passable job."

Jeremy's jaw dropped, from Yumi to Sissi that was high praise.

Sissi tumbled from the scanner tube gasping for breath and instinctively running her hands over her chest and stomach, terrified at the prospect of feeling the cut Yumi had inflicted with her weapon yet needing to know for certain that she wasn't about to die. Strong hands grabbed at her and she considered fighting back then realized that it was Ulrich, the soothing sound of his voice assuring her that she was ok calming her instantly. She leaned on him a moment longer than necessary after he helped her up, and she could only partially regret it. But it had to end and she stood unassisted on her own two feet for a few seconds then walked with him over to the elevator. "Ulrich, I'm not-"

Ulrich shushed her and said, "Yumi had a message for-"

"I don't need to hear it. I messed up and it's her excuse to get rid of me." Sissi said angrily despite her earlier doubts. "I-"

"Sissi." Ulrich's voice cut her off, "Yumi said that for your first actual fight, you did well." He looked away, that was an exaggeration of what she had said but it was what she meant. Still, he didn't want to know what would happen if Yumi found out that he hadn't related exactly what she had said. "Actually, she said you did a passable job. but," he added quickly, "what I said is what she really meant and you can confirm that with Jeremy or Aelita if you want."

Whatever Sissi would have replied with was lost as the scanners operation filled the room with sound and steam. Odd and Yumi emerged from the large metal cylinders first, followed shortly by Jeremy and Aelita.

Yumi ran straight to Ulrich, grabbed him, and hugged him tight, ignoring the volcanic heat of her face as she did so. The impulse wasn't exactly normal but the thought of losing him so soon after they'd finally put aside their troubles to become a couple was more painful than she had been prepared for.

Jeremy came up behind Aelita and pressed himself into her back, wrapping his arms around her waist and setting his chin on her shoulder. She grasped his hand and pulled his embrace just a little tighter before nodding her head to rub her cheek against his. She smiled as she watched Ulrich and Yumi separate, silently grateful that her face didn't look like it could light the room.

Sissi stood back and finally turned away from Ulrich and Yumi only to spy Jeremy and Aelita in a different but similar situation. Anything good she may have taken from Ulrich's words earlier was erased when thinking about the two couples. But she still felt something a little strange, on some level she was happy to see Ulrich enjoying Yumi's company. Still, she understood Williams desire to leave earlier and even shared it. As she considered that, she felt someone nudge her shoulder.

Odd nudged Sissi's shoulder right about the time Yumi and Ulrich separated. He held up his phone to her, the freshly taken pictures of both Yumi and Ulrich and Jeremy and Aelita a master piece of embarrassment. "Too bad I can't publish them," he said silently. "But look at Yumi blush." Sissi giggled in response then ran with Odd to the elevator and hit the button before any member of the two couples could react.

Only a few minutes later, the six friends were walking along the overland route back to school, talking about their adventure on Lyoko. Sissi stood about as far away from Yumi as it was possible to be while remaining within the group. She still felt apprehensive around the older girl despite how much her earlier hard feelings had seemed to mellow.

"So Jeremy, you should have tried using the mine field ability of the mantas you were directing." Aelita said. "That would have made things much more difficult on me."

"Please, princess," Odd answered, "you and I both know that mines wouldn't have made a difference and that you would have won anyway."

"That's not the point-" Aelita answered.

"Mines would have delayed her more and hopefully prevented her from destroying the megatanks from the air." Jeremy finished her sentence. Addressing Aelita he added, "and you're right." He paused as if feeling uncomfortable and finished sheepishly, "I um... forgot about that ability."

The entire group laughed and Aelita patted Jeremy on the shoulder. "It's ok."

"So what was with all the megatanks?" Yumi asked, sounding playfully upset.

Jeremy shrugged, "they were the hardest to defeat. And they had the least vulnerability in a sense."

"Well it's a good thing there weren't any around when Odd got frozen by that blok." Ulrich laughed, "though I would have paid to see Odd squashed by one of those things."

"Hey!" Odd called out. "What-"

"I'm with Ulrich on that," Yumi added. She was followed by a chorus of "me too" that even included Sissi and another round of loud laughter.

Odd grumbled something about not deserving such treatment.

"That reminds me." Yumi said, sounding much more serious. "Sissi, I'm sorry I went off on you like that but I'm glad you decided to fight me. Just because the odds aren't in your favor doesn't mean you shouldn't try and shouldn't stand up for yourself. Friends?"

Sissi cringed when Yumi addressed her and then turned and gaped in surprise. Walking slowly as she processed the statement, she finally turned towards Yumi and shook the older girl's outstretched hand. "Friends."

The sight of the campus gates made Jeremy sigh as he reluctantly pulled his hand out of Aelita's. Such gestures of affection were frowned upon here. "Back to the grind tomorrow," Jeremy told the group. "Midterms aren't too far away and there's still work to be done."

* * *

A/N: I think I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel...

**To the anonymous reviewer Grumbles:** Thank you for your review. Sorry about the updates but sometimes it takes me a long time to get a chapter typed up and other times I end up going through several drafts before settling on something I like. I agree with you on long chapters but I can understand the appeal of short ones as well.

**To the Anonymous reviewer Whazzat:** Thanks for your review. I was actually considering a chapter to deal with Herve and Nicholas but, to be honest I'm not very likely to do it. I'm not looking forward to writing it out and it seems that if it's not fun for me to write out, it ends up not being fun to read. You are correct about Ulrich's father and there will be a confrontation and a decision made regarding whether or not Ulrich gets to stay at Kadic.


	19. Herve?

A/N: A big thanks goes out to Commando Wolf and to Moonlitxangel, without whom this chapter may not have happened.

* * *

**Kadic Academy, Library, Wednesday 8:28 PM:** Herve watched as Sissi's new friends filed into the library. Jeremy and Aelita were walking side by side and laughing, probably at something Odd had said as they made their way over to the table they usually sat at. Unable to help himself, he glared at Jeremy. The rival boy appeared to have perfected life, having Aelita as his girlfriend, Yumi and Ulrich as protectors, Odd for stress relief and now Sissi as the feather in his cap. To say it wasn't fair would be putting it mildly.

His eyes smoldered with barely repressed hatred as Ulrich crossed his field of view, walking beside Yumi. Ulrich who had crushed Sissi's dreams time and again. The boy who could never see Sissi as the beautiful being she really was and who would never appreciate that beauty even if he did. Ulrich, who Sissi had pined over and desired for so long, whose love she wanted more than anything else, had rejected her. But because of that, she was welcomed into Jeremy's circle of friends and she had readily abandoned him for them. She had, he thought bitterly, abandoned his constant support in favor of the people she made fun of and who had so obviously hated her only a few weeks before.

He turned away, looking back at the day's homework and let his anger go. There was nothing he was going to be able to do about it anyway. Instead, he considered himself, and why he wasn't good enough for her. Of course Sissi had always demanded the best and he knew he couldn't live up to it. He wasn't popular or athletic, wasn't confident and couldn't even think clearly around her. He glanced up, seeing the girl of his dreams go around the table looking for a seat with worried expression.

_None of them deserved to know a girl like Sissi_, he thought angrily as she walked back to her seat beside Jeremy. They weren't helping her and he could... He cut himself off right there; he couldn't just go up to her and offer his help. She would reject him and as painful as it was to watch her be ignored, it would be worse to be rejected. So he stayed put and forced himself to work on his assignments.

Sissi's eyes scanned the table and she watched Aelita try to coax Odd into getting the chemistry assignment right. Beside her, Jeremy was helping Ulrich with some sort of English essay, and the two seemed to be deep into concentration over the blond genius' laptop. Yumi was just about packed up and ready to leave, needing to escort Hiroki home and babysit him. William was working on his math homework, though he seemed rather bored by it.

She looked at her own science worksheet and groaned at all the unfilled in spaces for questions she didn't really get. Too much of her time spent goofing off is what everyone present at the table would say about her inability to solve the problems. But as she watched the others work, she knew she couldn't just wait around and hope they'd have time to show her. Nor did she have any intention of asking William, he just had a slightly creepy vibe about him that unsettled her even though he seemed nice enough.

She looked around the library and spotted Herve, immediately knowing that even though she had ignored him for well over a week, he'd do whatever she asked. Granted it might take a bit of a pose, and maybe some batting of her eyelashes, but he'd help her out in the end. She got up, whispered an excuse to Jeremy who nodded without paying attention, then gathered her science homework and book and headed in Herve's direction.

Herve looked up as Sissi leaned against his table, looking down at him with those utterly perfect hazel eyes. He couldn't help himself and smiled up at her, all the bitter anger melting away as she smiled back and leaned to offer a better view of her curves. His eyes locked onto her belly button for a moment and he marveled at the visual texture of her skin.

"Herve?" His eyes flew to her face at the sound of her silky voice. She took a seat beside him, "do you think you could help me with this science stuff?" She asked in an overly sweet voice.

"Of co... I mean it would... Yeah." He stammered, any resistance that his feelings of abandonment might have given him gone. He took a few sheets of extra paper from his back-pack and shoved his own work aside to make room for Sissi's. Then he began trying to walk her through the steps needed to solve the problems. She followed along for the first one, had trouble with the second one and seemed completely stuck on the third problem.

Sissi puzzled over the third problem, distinctly recalling some random beauty tip from a magazine she had been reading rather than the necessary concept from class. She looked up from the paper at Herve, his face a mask of concentration as he puzzled over how to explain the concept she was stuck on. She glanced at her watch, knowing that at this rate she was never going to get done and that failing her new friends was not an option. She reached out, touching Herve's hand gently and noting with satisfaction the way he jumped and was now trembling. She smiled seductively, "why don't you work this one out as an example and then I'll try to follow what you did."

Herve could only smile and nod before he began to work furiously on the problem, his cheeks practically glowing. Sissi watched him work, knowing that she had him trapped. He'd do the rest of her assignment and probably tomorrows too. She might actually try to follow Herve's work later, but for now, this was better than actually doing the work herself. It was amazing just what the applied charms of a female could do.

[[]]

**Kadic Academy, Dorm Building, Sissi's room, Thursday 8:45 PM:** Aelita looked over Sissi, teetering on the edge between plain anger and outright fury. "How could you do that?"

Sissi stared back, "You were busy tutoring Odd and Jeremy was busy with Ulrich and Yumi was at home taking care of her brother and William... I don't know, I just didn't feel like asking him for help. I can't really explain it further."

"So you thought it would be a good idea to convince Herve to do your work for you?" Aelita let out a frustrated sigh before continuing, "What happens when you get caught?"

"Relax Aelita, I've done this before and haven't gotten caught. I'll study Herve's work and if I have questions I'll ask you and Jeremy later. Besides, Odd and Ulrich need your time the most." Sissi soothed, hoping that it would calm the angry pink-haired girl.

Aelita fixed Sissi with a hard stare, "whether or not you get caught, it isn't right to just use Herve like that. He deserves better from you and him doing your work doesn't help _you_ when it comes time for the test."

"I'll be ready for test, princess," Sissi retorted, "and I'll have better grades for Ulrich thanks to Herve."

"Only if you're not caught!" Aelita yelled back as she turned to leave. "And you know what Elizabeth? Herve deserves better than be used and tossed away like garbage when you're done with him!" She slammed Sissi's door shut and stomped back to her own room.

[[]]

**Kadic Academy, Science building, Room 213, Friday:** Ms. Hertz handed Jeremy and Aelita's homework papers back to them and smiled slightly as they looked at their perfect grades. Normally, she'd deduct a few points here and there just to remind the two geniuses that they weren't perfect. But with each assignment belonging to Jeremy and his friends holding the possibility of being scrutinized by someone else for the future of one of her students, she refused to pull such tricks and instead graded strictly on the answers and the work done to achieve them.

She continued to hand back assignments until only Sissi and Herve's were left. She frowned as she handed Sissi's paper back with "See me after class" written boldly in red. When the girl finally looked up at her and nodded, she walked to Herve and gave him his paper back with the same words written on it. He gulped nervously, looked up and nodded yes. With that done, Ms. Hertz walked back to the front of her classroom and began the day's lesson.

Odd tapped Sissi's shoulder as the bell rang and she began to slowly gather her notes and book. "What happened?" He whispered to her when she turned in his direction.

Shooting a worried glance at Aelita then turning her head back towards Odd before she noticed, Sissi whispered an answer. "Ms. Hertz wants to see me after class."

Odd looked at her with concern, "Do you know why?"

"No," Sissi lied, hoping he wouldn't see through it.

"Odd? You coming?" Ulrich's voice saved her from facing Odd, but nothing was going to save her from facing Aelita later.

"Elizabeth."

Sissi cringed when she heard her first name used and fought back the urge to correct Ms. Hertz right now. The teacher didn't really scare her, and she could get her father to pull her off the hook anyway, but Aelita and Yumi were another story altogether and they'd be a major problem if they thought she wasn't taking the matter as seriously as they believed she should. She walked to the teacher's desk and looked out the door to make sure her friends were gone. Herve stood next to her and she gave him a death glare.

"Elizabeth!" Ms. Hertz snapped, "He didn't tattle if that's what you're thinking. I'm perfectly capable of recognizing stolen work on my own." She turned her head to regard Herve and spoke more gently, "did you let Elizabeth copy your work or did she do that on her own?"

Herve froze, wanting to tell Ms. Hertz the truth, that Sissi had asked him, but afraid of the repercussions such an action would bring. Ms. Hertz would be mad if she knew that he had willingly done Sissi's work for her, but Sissi would get even somehow if he said that she had forced him. He took a chance and glanced at the Sissi, almost able to feel the waves of anger rolling off of her. He briefly wished that he could impress her just once instead of being a constant disappointment.

"Herve?" Ms. Hertz prompted.

He took a fearful look at Sissi then said, "She um... asked for help..." His cheeks were probably bright red right now. He ignored it and continued, "So I tried... but I just decided to do the assignment for her."

Sissi smiled, relieved that Herve hadn't said she wanted him to do the work, but then frowned as Ms. Hertz asked, "And you choose to do her work for her all by yourself?"

"Y... Yes," Herve answered shakily.

Ms. Hertz cast stony glares at the two through her glasses. Her thin lips set into a deepening frown as her mind processed the information. Herve twiddled his fingers nervously and fidgeted. Small droplets of sweat beaded on his forehead and cascaded down his face. Never, in his short life, had a teacher stared at him with ill-concealed distaste of such intensity. Sissi bit her bottom lip and winced as the sharp, metallic tang of blood seeped into her mouth. Having come to a decision, the science teacher cleared her throat to obtain the attention of her students.

"Detention for the both of you," she announced in a crisp tone. "Four hours for each or you, to be served today in the library under Jim's supervision. And," she declared, her brows creasing as small breaths of relief were issued from both of them "I will probably talk to the principal about the possibility of suspension if this happens again."

Sissi and Herve could only stare at their teacher in shock as the latter gathered up her papers and prepared to leave for the day. Herve almost blurted out the truth that Sissi had in fact made him do her work, but kept his mouth shut. Sissi, after all, had the ferocity of a lion and would surely find some way to exact revenge if he did so. Ms. Hertz slid her messenger bag onto her shoulder and cast a wayward glance at the two as she stepped in between the doorway.

"Remember that this school is one of the finest in France and therefore Kadic has strict standards. Normally, demerits would be issued, but I find that this occurrence of cheating needs more severe repercussions- I suspect this has been going on for some time, given that Ms. Delmas's work is usually barely legible and disorganized. I recall having to fail a student for plagiarism- poorly concealed plagiarism, I must admit. He had to take the year all over again; he was lucky he didn't face expulsion." With that, Ms. Hertz slipped through the doorway and left the two to their thoughts.

[[]]

**Kadic Academy, Library, Friday evening:** "Thanks for nothing, Sissi" Herve grumbled under his breath, hoping Jim didn't hear him.

Fortunately, the aforementioned man was sitting far enough away that he couldn't really hear their conversation and already was fast asleep in his chair anyways. Drool dribbled from his open mouth and onto his red sweater, and it would have made the scene comical had it been visible. The comic section in the newspaper he was reading disguised it however.

Sissi glanced at the Physical Education teacher to make sure he hadn't moved an inch before muttering a reply back. "Don't worry, I'll talk to my father and-"

"And what?" Herve demanded, causing Jim too loudly snort in his sleep; Herve realized his mistake and lowered his voice before continuing. "How long will it take before the principal realizes what his little angel has been doing?"

Sissi looked away, unwilling to continue to look Herve in his eyes. A nagging voice in the back of her head scolded her, and the ghost of Aelita's parting words echoed in her mind. As much as she loathed saying or even admitting it to herself, she knew the pink-haired female was right.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled halfheartedly. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Herve could only stare at the person he once blindly worshiped with a mixture of his remaining anger and awe. He had never heard the normally bratty female ever apologize for anything in an even remotely sincere tone. Usually, she would sarcastically apologize after she utterly humiliated her victim, most likely using intelligence gathered by sneaking around the school and publishing it on Kadic's newspaper, or simply bullying others into doing her bidding.

Sitting as silent as death in his seat after almost a full minute, and still staring almost blankly at Sissi, Herve wondered if he'd heard that phrase correctly and the words had actually been voiced in that order. He really hadn't been expecting her to maturely admit her responsibility and guilt- he had thought that the moment he had begun his diatribe, Sissi would retaliate either verbally or physically.

"I'm sorry" Sissi reiterated, placing her crossed arms onto the table and laying her head on top of them.

"Why?" Herve prodded, having been shaken out of his stupor by her second apology. He leaned forward until their noses almost touched, his dark eyes glaring down at her.

"Why?" Sissi answered, confused. "Because I actually feel-"

"Not that" Herve answered, dismissing her answer with a wave of his hand. "When I asked why, I was asking you if you knew why I stuck around with you, why I loyally stayed by your side, even after your numerous rejections, and why I even gave you a chance." Herve paused to sharply inhale before continuing, albeit in a softer tone. "Sissi, I've stuck around with you for years. I've done almost everything you've asked for and even suffered for it. I've given you a chance that nobody else has instead of staying far away and avoiding you like the Bubonic plague."

Sissi buried her head in her hands, feeling a strong surge of guilt come over her. Suddenly, the influx of emotions overwhelmed her, and Herve was surprised to see a few tears stream down her face before they pooled onto the polished wooden table. Stunned, he reached out and gently patted her on the shoulder, unsure what to do now.

"It's just..." Sissi sobbed into her arm, momentarily forgetting about the required silence. "Nobody really cared for me or even appreciated me except you and that dork, Nicholas. I've tried to break apart the relationship between Ulrich and Yumi just because I was jealous of how close they were... and I've known him since Kindergarten, but he hardly recognizes my existence."

"Sissi", Herve began, already beginning to feel uncomfortable with the situation.

"You've seen how I tried to act better than everyone else, but what I really wanted was just to fit in!" Sissi pressed on, ignoring the pimply-faced teen. "I mean... for years I've followed after Jeremy and his gang and constantly insulted them, but I really just wanted to be friends with them. Is it so hard to understand that I just need someone to help and befriend me?"

"Sissi, I'm-" Herve started, but was quickly cut off by the normally bratty teenager.

"I've only said that I was the prettiest and smartest girl at Kadic so people would pay attention to me. I guess... I guess that I thought that it would take the place of my mother. I haven't seen her in a long time, and daddy hardly ever mentions her. Besides him, who would care for me!" Sissi snarled, whipping her hair as she turned away from the nerdy teenager to glare at the bookshelves on the other side of the room. "You think I'm ugly, right? That I'm the biggest loser in the school, even bigger than Nicholas, aren't I?" Sissi whispered softly.

Herve placed a comforting arm on her shoulder. "No, you're not" he voiced, pausing only to adjust his glasses before they completely slid off of his nose. "So stop thinking that... I think you're more beautiful and stunning than the sight of a thousand strips of burning Magnesium shining in the night."

With that, Sissi turned, sniffled loudly and stared at Herve sadly, a small smile twitching at the edges of her lips as she fully took in his words. Jim snorted loudly in his sleep and his body twitched, already beginning to awaken. Herve quickly cast a look at the snoring gym teacher, unsure if the large man was going to fully wake up and start scolding them for making such racket. By then, Sissi had taken the opportunity to bury her face into Herve's shoulder, continuing to silently cry. All Herve could do was to embrace her in a comforting hug and gently stroke her hair.

Inwardly, he was amazed at how it felt to hold her and to offer her such comfort. There was nothing quite like the feeling and though his cheeks burned and his stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies all clamoring to get out, he wouldn't let go for anything. This moment was something he longed for and dreamed of, and he was surprised to find that now that it was here, he actually had the courage to do this. To tell Sissi how beautiful she really was and to hold her close as she cried on his shoulder. To know that she needed him and that he hadn't failed her.

[[]]

**A couple of hours later:** When both of them were released from detention by a bedraggled Jim, the sun was already setting in the horizon and stars were beginning to appear in the night sky. A cool wind rustled through the tree leaves, teasing at the two's hair. Neither of them had said much after Sissi's crying episode, nor did they attempt to strike up a full-scale conversation, instead letting the silence speak for both of them for a while.

"So..." Sissi began, turning around to face him. "Did you really mean all of what you said back there in the library?"

Herve nodded fervently before stopping short and quirking an eyebrow. "Have you seen how bright a strip of Magnesium shines when it's burning?"

Sissi shook her head, having not been the type to be interested in Chemistry while the teacher was attempting to explain the day's lesson.

"It's like a miniature sun" Herve explained. "When a centimeter length of a strip of Magnesium metal is held into the flame of a Bunsen burner, it glows red for several seconds before erupting into a dazzling white light that lasts for about two seconds before it fades away; but while the light is there, it's so bright, you have to look away before your eyes start hurting. That's how I see you- you're beautiful and dazzling... and you're incomparable to-" Herve broke off, blushing furiously as a sharp flash of light cut into his vision.

Sissi blinked her vision clear of the afterglow from the flash and bolted away from Herve, running after whoever took the picture. Talking to Herve had felt pretty good and it was really nice to hear him talk to her as if she was really someone special. But that didn't mean she wanted a picture of herself and Herve to be the front page of the Kadic newspaper. She could, as she turned a corner following the sound of running feet, see the headline. _Kadic's newest couple: Kadic's queen and lowest nerd_. Strange thing was, it didn't seem all that bad anymore. Not exactly what she wanted, just not repulsive.

Herve watched her run away with a growing sense of dejection. He knew she was sensitive to her image and though it pained him, he knew he was detrimental to the image she wished to maintain. Still, he had hoped that Sissi's earlier episode had really meant something. A large part of him still believed that it did. But it was hard to ignore the pain that welled into his heart at her sudden departure just as it seemed they were getting somewhere. He watched Sissi run for a moment then headed slowly to the dorm building, trying desperately to hang on to the fading hope from earlier.

Odd ran into the dorm building, almost knocking over another student as he passed by at lightning speed, amazed that Sissi was still running after him. He knew he couldn't get caught and pumped his legs harder in an effort to escape. He shoved the door to a stairwell open and heard it hit loudly on the stops, the sound echoing in the small space as a couple of girls jerked their heads around to see what had happened.

Sissi pushed through the door at the top of the stairwell after pushing past a stunned onlooker. She didn't care what it looked like to them, her focus was on the pictures. But she was growing tired and Odd apparently wasn't. He began to pull away as the two sprinted down the hallway. Despite her breath coming in ragged heaves and her legs being on fire, she pushed through the stairwell door on the opposite end of the girl's floor and jumped down the stairs two and three at a time.

Odd skidded, using his hands and arms to absorb the impact and redirect himself as he came out of the stairwell and hit the wall on the opposite side. Running down the hall, he bolted for the exit, knowing that Sissi was falling behind and that he was starting to get tired himself. Still he had to continue until he was certain that she wasn't able to continue the chase. He was in better shape than she was however, owing to all the running and fighting in the real world while they fought XANA.

Sissi ran, despite her worsening condition, as fast as she could after the now rapidly retreating form of Odd. Even though her pace had slowed considerably, she still hit Aelita with enough force to send her tumbling backwards when she didn't see the girl come out of Jeremy's room and collided with her. Jeremy came running out of his room just in time to see the two girls begin to overcome their shock. He moved through the crowd that was gathering and helped the girls up, but nearly dropped Aelita when the principal's voice boomed through the halls.

"What is the meaning of this?" Mr. Delmas demanded of the students who had just been picked up off the floor. He glared around the assembled bodies, silently advising anyone who couldn't enlighten him to leave. Most did, the small crowd dispersing and leaving Sissi, Aelita and Jeremy to stand alone. "Sissi, why were you running through the halls?"

The girl cursed under her breath, he must have come in from opposite side and so didn't see Odd running away. Not that it would have helped, but it would have been nice to have Odd in trouble too. "I was, um..." She stopped and panted, hoping that it would by her some time. Her father waited, but crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I was hoping to get help from Jeremy and it was getting late and-"

"Young lady, you know better than to be running through the halls." He pivoted his head and looked down at Aelita, "Are you all right?"

"Yes sir, no harm done" Aelita replied, hurriedly picking herself up from the floor.

"Good." Mr. Delmas replied as he put a hand on his daughter's back and guided her away from the two teens. Once they were far enough away to not be overheard, he looked down at Sissi and asked, "And does what you wanted Jeremy for have anything to do with your detention?"

Aelita watched them walk off, her mind putting together any number of ways for this to turn disastrous. She glanced at Jeremy as he gently pulled her back into his room and led her to his computer chair. She sat down when he gestured and tensed then relaxed when he swiveled the chair so that she was facing away from him and started massaging her shoulders. "Sissi's always been able to wiggle out of trouble with her father; it won't be any different this time." Aelita nodded, hoping that he was correct, and made a mental note to check for herself as she let Jeremy's attention take away her stress.

"Well, you see" Sissi began hesitantly, shyly looking at her father in his eyes. "I received some tutoring from Jeremy and Aelita, but they were too busy and-"

"Young lady" her father interrupted, holding up a hand to gesture her to momentarily pause in her explanation. "I have received word from Mrs. Hertz that you have been coercing your friend, Herve, to do your assignments for you. She has informed me that since this has most likely been occurring for some time now, she had given you detention. She has also stated that if you continue to copy from Herve or allow him to do your homework; she will consider suspension for you both. Do you deny these allegations?"

"No, daddy" Sissi muttered, nervously shuffling her feet.

"Very well, then" Mr. Delmas sighed, removing his glasses to massage the bridge of his nose. "I suppose that no further punishments will be incurred for this offense, since I believe that detention was enough for this episode of cheating. I will not put this on your permanent record. However," Mr. Delmas continued, replacing his glasses and clearing his throat for further emphasis. "Even though I will not punish you and your friend Herve any further, I will closely analyze your work so that you won't be tempted to try this again for a long time."

"Yes, daddy" Sissi said, slightly relieved at getting off the hook easier than she had already expected.

"I see that we are crystal clear on this, correct?" Mr. Delmas asked, continuing when his daughter fervently nodded her head. "Good. I expect to see no more of this silliness in the future. Oh, and be careful of speeding through the halls next time. We don't want any pedestrians to get involved."

Mr. Delmas grimly smiled and playfully ruffled his daughter's hair before he left, only stopping to gaze distantly as she retreated, presumably headed to her room.

[[[]]]

Aelita sat down at Sissi's vanity and swiveled the chair to face towards the bed where Sissi was fidgeting nervously. She could guess why, Sissi had recently been in detention and then got into trouble with her father over running recklessly through the halls. After all of that, Sissi was now asking for a favor and the girl was lucky that Jeremy had just finished giving her a shoulder massage because otherwise she would be in a really bad mood. Still, her voice held a hard edge as she asked "so how did things go with your father?"

Elizabeth's expression brightened just slightly. "Well enough. Daddy won't add the plagiarism to any records that Ulrich's father can see and he won't punish Herve any further. But..."

"Well?" Aelita prompted.

"He's actually going to be keeping a closer eye on my work to make sure I don't try this again."

"Good." Aelita answered, satisfied that this matter was closed. "So you wanted to ask me for a favor?"

"Do you think you could get Odd to destroy a picture he took of me?"

Aelita frowned at the girl, "I don't know, I guess I could try. What picture are you referring to?"

"One of me and Herve talking together."

"That doesn't sound all that bad." Aelita said in a curious tone.

"It's," Sissi hesitated, not at all certain she wanted to share with Aelita what she and Herve had been talking about. "It's not, but it's how Odd will sell it to Milly and Tamiya and then how they will publish it that worries me."

"Ok," Aelita answered as she got up from her chair. "I'll call Odd when I get back to my room and see if I can talk him into destroying the picture." She stopped just before opening the door and turned back towards Sissi, "but you owe me if he does," she added.

"You aren't going to talk to him now?" Sissi asked, leaning forward and sounding genuinely concerned and upset, "In person?"

"Elizabeth," Aelita said gently, hoping that the use of her given name would convey authority while the gentle tone she used would take the sting out of it. "It's nearly curfew and I'm assuming you don't want me to wait until tomorrow."

Sissi let out a small growl at the use of Elizabeth and then shook her head no in answer to Aelita's question. As she heard the sound of Aelita's hand turning the doorknob, she spoke up. "Hey Aelita, just out of..." When Aelita let go of the door and turned to face her again, she lost her nerve. "Never mind. Good night."

"Go ahead and ask whatever it is you want to ask, I won't get upset."

Sissi considered. Herve's earlier talk was making her wonder and she was questioning a good portion of her own feelings. Having been admitted into the group, she got a more inside view of Jeremy and Aelita's relationship and though it had its rough spots, she would characterize both teens as being better off with each other than without. Further, her breakdown and Herve's willingness to just ignore how horribly she'd treated him in the past, when combined with her new insights into herself and others, made her wonder just what Herve might have to offer her.

But there was no escaping that Herve had any number of shortcomings either. Most related to his looks and to his inability to win her popularity. But as she meshed with the Lyoko group, that seemed to become less important to her. She felt her confusion grow as she continued to contemplate the situation, recalling how she had poured her heart out and how it had felt good rather than embarrassing.

A noise roused her from her thoughts and she noticed that Aelita was still standing at the door. Her arms were at her sides but the expression on her face said that she was starting to grow impatient. Marshaling her courage, she looked into Aelita's eyes and spoke softly.

"How does it feel to be in love... like... to know that the person you admire likes you back?"

Aelita raised her eyebrows slightly, not quite expecting the question to come up at all. Her curiosity demanded that she ask Sissi if she was referring to Herve or someone else. Her intuition told her that if she asked that now, Sissi would clam up. Ignoring her curiosity, she considered for a moment. Ever since the defeat of XANA, she and Jeremy's relationship had been near perfect. Not that they didn't have their fights, but they worked through them and managed to take good care of one another in the process.

"Well, it's wonderful, to say the least" she conceded, a small, sad smile growing on her face as she remembered how much time Jeremy had devoted towards her safety, even though he couldn't physically be with her all the time. She rubbed a hand on her arm as more negative memories pushed to the front of her mind. The fight to free her from the lifeless world of Lyoko and then from the virus that it turned out she didn't have, and then to free her father and defeat XANA once and for all had taken a severe toll.

All the times Jeremy hadn't been able to be with her, sitting in front of a computer programming or studying its operation as if there was no tomorrow. The pain it caused her to be left behind in favor of the endless amount of work. The sense that she was a worthless burden that Jeremy had to carry with only minimal support from the group and even herself as she tried to live her life. The terrible realization that if Jeremy failed them, there was no back-up and there really would be no tomorrow for anyone. The utter joy of knowing beyond any doubt she was the most important person in Jeremy's life and that he'd do anything and make any sacrifice for her. How she felt when Jeremy managed to pull himself away from the responsibility she thrust onto his small shoulders and do something thoughtful for her, or just ask her how she was with genuine care and concern.

"Aelita?" Sissi asked as the silence stretched out and the aforementioned girl's eyes seemed to lose focus. The pink-haired girl looked up at the sound of her name, her expression an unreadable jumble of emotion that for some strange reason still seemed happy.

"Just thinking back," Aelita answered absently. "You know it's comforting to know that somebody will be there when you're at your worst and honestly ask you how you are feeling or… even try to make your day brighter."

Sissi stared at Aelita for a few seconds but then thought better of asking Aelita about her confusing mix of expressions and words, instead choosing to take her statement at face value. She had seen that much earlier with Herve, if she were to be honest with herself. "But how do you know if they love you back?" She demanded impatiently as she realized that curfew was rapidly approaching.

"You can look at their eyes, or" Aelita added as an afterthought "you can just ask them. I'm sure that if you ask them, they'll give an honest response."

"Or try to cover it up in front of their friends" Sissi snorted dismissively.

Aelita sighed and shrugged, not really sure how to answer that. Neither she nor Jeremy had really had the confidence to come right out and simply tell each other how they felt about each other and it did hurt her. All his devotion still left room for doubt when he would ignore her concerns for his health and sanity. Her desire to live her life even as Jeremy worked himself near to death had undoubtedly left him with similar doubts about her. And yet, any outsider could see how deeply their feelings for each other ran with only a simple glance. Through everything though, Jeremy had never intentionally tried to hurt her in any way. He had disappointed her, let her down on more than one occasion, but had never intentionally hurt her.

Aelita shuffled her feet as she recalled something else, Odd saying that he liked to make her blush. It brought up the memory of how uncomfortable it felt to be teased over her feelings. How it had made her feel self conscious and shy. "They're probably doing it because they don't want any gossip to spread through the school about the relationships; after all, gossiping can turn to jeering at both members of the couple, and he or she's probably sparing their friend from humiliation at the school students' hands" Aelita responded, trying to ease the teenage female's worries.

"So... does this mean that if Herve and I, well" Sissi broke off, biting her lip.

Aelita waited patiently for Sissi's response, already accustomed to the others habit of breaking off in mid-sentence while deciding how to continue.

"If you officially get together as girlfriend and boyfriend?" Aelita suggested helpfully as she stepped closer into Sissi's room.

"Yeah" Sissi agreed, lying back on her bed and staring at the ceiling. "I suppose that Milly and Tamiya would go crazy and publish a hyped-up story about both of us being together. They seem to be more desperate for a juicy story now that there's hardly anything happening here in this old dump."

"Isn't that what the press does?" Aelita pressed. "The newspapers and headliners always go for the stories that everyone will read."

"Of course" Sissi muttered bitterly, sighing in exhaustion.

"But even then" Aelita declared, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You two wouldn't make a bad couple at all. I mean, the press aside, there are other things to worry about when you're in love with somebody, like... maybe pondering on how long the relationship will last, though I suppose Herve isn't the type to go around and cheat behind your back."

Sissi chuckled and slowly nodded at the pink-haired female, completely understanding and relating to what she was saying.

"You've got to admire his persistence and give him credit, though" Sissi sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I mean, how many boys are there in the world that would even give you the time of day, when you hardly recognize their existence? He's put up with me more than anyone else in this school, even more than Nicholas."

"Nobody else in the world" Aelita whispered, smiling slightly as she retreated back into the hall and closed Sissi's door, pulling out her cell phone to make a call to a certain prankster in their group.

[[[[]]]]

**Kadic Academy, Sissi's room, Saturday 12:58 PM:** "It was just a joke, I swear!" Odd whined as he hung upside down while his tormentor stood on a chair.

Sissi's hand was curled around an ankle, easily keeping the skinny boy suspended in the air with one hand while giving him the most venomous glare she could conjure.

"A joke!" Sissi hissed, giving Odd a violent shake. "A. Joke! I was publicly humiliated in that blasted newspaper, and it's all because of _you_!"

"Hey... hey, at least it's publicity! I mean, it's probably nothing and nobody saw it."

"I was jeered at by forty different people today, Della Robbia! You call that nobody!"

Odd whimpered in fear as Sissi continued her verbal spat and expressed her displeasure by continuing to violently shake him, hoping to beat the lesson of getting on her nerves into Odd's pea-sized brain. The self-declared Princess of Kadic Academy dug her perfectly manicured nails into the boy's ankle and felt a small twinge of satisfaction when he recoiled in pain. She knew it was morally wrong to be doing this, but after suffering at the hands of this weasel for too long, it was only just that she dished out a heaping portion of revenge.

"H... hey!" Odd stuttered, wriggling uncomfortably as blood rushed to his head. "I'm not the only bad guy here! You got Aelita in trouble a few months ago with a photograph."

"I did what?" Sissi snarled back.

"I sent you a picture of Aelita with her father, it was supposed to be a secret but you went straight to the principal with it." Odd replied; wishing he could free himself from the girl's vice-like grip.

"Odd... What the hell are you talking about? I did no such thing so stop trying to deflect the blame, Loki."

"I'm the god of mischief? ...That doesn't sound all that bad, actually. In fact, it's-"

"You're proud to be the mischief maker, huh? Well, how does being tied to rocks in a dark cave with a snake dripping venom on your face sound like to you?" Sissi shook the prankster once, wincing immediately since her arm was getting tired of holding Odd's weight.

Odd stayed uncharacteristically silent, not wanting to further incur Sissi's anger. He would have made a joke about how her temper was just as short as her aesthetic beauty if it had not been for the dire situation at hand. Sissi grunted as her arm finally gave under Odd's weight, sending the young boy crashing to the floor on his head. Odd mumbled angrily and rubbed his head, irritatedly glaring at Sissi, who was dismounting from the chair she formerly stood on while holding him.

"Was that really necessary?" Odd groaned, almost sure that the fall knocked out what was left of his brain.

"Yes" Sissi replied, flexing her non-existent muscles and grinning menacingly at the boy. "I have something special planned for you, and I will be sure to include the press in this escapade."

[[[[[]]]]]

"You have got to be kidding," Odd grumbled while he fingered the fabric he now wore disdainfully as he exited the bathroom and turned to look the principle's daughter in the face. "How long do I have to wear this?"

Sissi only smirked at Odd's question, resisting the strong temptation to burst into laughter right then and there. In her arms was a large basket with flora of all sizes and colors inside.

"You should be grateful that I have not decided to do something much, much worse" Sissi responded before continuing. "Oh, and you probably should stop by at Aelita's dorm to thank her for letting you borrow her dress."

"Not a chance" Odd retorted, already uncomfortable with the decorative light pink summer dress the pinkette had gotten during one of the trips Yumi took her on in order to explore France.

"Come on" Sissi pulled at Odd's arm, practically dragging him along with her as she shoved a basket full of flowers in his hands. "This will be fun, I promise." _At least for everyone you've ever annoyed,_ Sissi added to herself.

"Fun for you" Odd muttered under his breath as the teenage girl frog-marched him towards the courtyard.

"Oh, stop being so whiny" Sissi replied, letting go of Odd and lightly shoving him into the large area where the students could communicate and play with each other during breaks in between school classes. "You only have to do this for 10 minutes at minimum. And hurry- Milly and Tamiya aren't going to wait for long to get a juicy story onto Kadic's newspaper."

Odd sucked in his breath and began skipping across the yard at a hurried pace, singing "I'm a Barbie Girl" and tossing flowers behind him. Many students needed only a second to look at the prankster before bursting into choruses of laughter as they watched the boy known for his reputation as a bad date prancing around in a pink dress. Odd felt his cheeks turn a visible bright red with embarrassment, feeling his dignity being stripped away with each skip he took and every flower he threw behind him.

The dress itself was sure to have been tailored for Aelita to catch Jeremie's attention during a school dance, though Aelita probably only wanted it for Jeremie's eyes only; she loved the way he reacted upon first seeing her before they danced a waltz or two. The dress was laced with gorgeous sashes in differing shades of pink and some sparkles along with strips of darker pink fabric to accent the dress. White silk flowers were embedded into the dress while a similarly colored sash that was embroidered at the waistline provided as decorations.

Laughter spread through the students already at the courtyard and the crowd began to swell as word moved through the student body at the speed of gossip. The jeers and laughter of the crowd was almost enough to drown out the clicking of cameras and the accompanying pop of their flash bulbs. Not satisfied with just having pictures, both young reporters dashed after him, bombarding him with questions and tossing the previous issue of Kadic's newspaper with Sissi and Herve's cover photo underfoot. Her relationship with one of the local school nerds was soon forgotten, a mere memory tucked into the recesses of their minds; this was more interesting and the fresh gossip always made for better headlines.

Bemoaning his predicament, Odd shamefully continued to skip and belt girly songs at the top of his voice, feeling sure that the remaining nine minutes would seem like forever. He cast glares at Jeremy, Aelita, Yumi and Ulrich for not saving him this mess when he caught a glimpse of them turning away and leaving. But on some level, he was glad they weren't staying to rub his humiliation in.

Aelita looked back over her shoulder, feeling guilty about allowing this to happen to Odd. But on the other hand, she had asked nicely, and then warned him that there would be consequences but he chose not to listen. Yumi put a hand on her shoulder and spoke, "I know you feel guilty but maybe it's for the best, Odd needs to learn that his decisions have consequences."

"And it's not like he wouldn't take an opportunity to do the same to us." Ulrich added as he recalled all the teasing he went through over his feelings for Yumi and all the times he had gotten into trouble for something Odd had done.

[[]]

**Kadic Academy, Dorm building, about an hour later:** Sissi nervously knocked on Herve's door, trying to keep Aelita's words in mind. She had taken a little time from her studies, or rather from Ulrich and Odd's studies, to offer her a bit of advice. Since the cat was out of the bag anyway, and since she obviously seemed to like Herve, Aelita had said "go out on a date and see if there's anything there."

Herve opened the door, stunned to see Sissi standing on the other side. After everything the picture of he and Sissi had put her through, having her standing nervously outside his door was surprising to say the least. "Hi... Sissi. I'm... uh..."

Sissi waved away his presumed apology when a swift motion of her hand. "Odd's been punished," she stated with a slightly cruel tone. Her voice grew smug as she continued, "And he won't be making any more trouble for us... At least for a while."

Herve nodded, unsure what she meant since he had been hidden in his room moping ever since seeing the girl he loved being made fun of because of him.

"So do you want to talk? Maybe find someplace with better food than they served at the cafeteria?" She turned her gaze away, feeling slightly guilty that it was Jeremy who had noticed and pointed out Herve's absence at lunch. "I know you skipped lunch."

Herve smiled brightly and blushed heavily, hoping that the light pink tint of Sissi's cheeks wasn't just his imagination. "I'd love to." He answered shyly.

Sissi motioned him and he fell into step beside her, trying to quiet the fear he felt. Sissi looked beside him, trying to keep Aelita's admonishment in mind and not hold Herve's lack of social experience against him. But she knew it wasn't going to be easy. She hoped that the pinkette was right however, and that it would be worth it in the end.

* * *

**A/N: Again, a really big thank you goes out to Commando Wolf who broke into my account and actually wrote a good portion (~50%) of this chapter for me. She did the sections where Sissi and Herve had to talk to Ms. Hertz, their detention scene, the scene between Sissi and her father, and the scene where Aelita and Sissi talked in Sissi's room. I did heavily modify that scene however. She also wrote the scene where Sissi takes her revenge on Odd. **

**Also a thank you to MoonlitxAngel who helped me map out the direction of this chapter. **

**Herve x Sissi was not something I'd planned on, but you can thank Commando Wolf for that too. Given how Sissi has changed since her inclusion, I don't think it's all that far off. As for you Odd fans, looks like he's going to end up alone.**


	20. Failing?

**Kadic Academy, Library, Saturday 5:30 PM (1 week before exams):** Aelita shuffled Odd's first paper back to the top of her pile and quickly wrote his grade, 89%, in the top margin. She slid his paper back to him, smiling as he whooped in triumph over the high grade on his practice exam. "See Odd, that's what you can do when you put your mind to something."

"Yeah, I know princess, but I hope that after these tests I can get away with doing a little less work."

"You and me both," Aelita answered as she started to grade Ulrich's practice exam. She absently looked out the window, wondering how Jeremy and Yumi were doing with his phys ed. She sighed, knowing that he was trying and, most likely, failing.

"Worried about Jeremy?"

Ulrich's voice pulled her back to library and his test, which she looked back at before answering him. "Yeah, I mean it's not like his gym grade will sink us-"

"Yeah," Odd answered in a lighthearted tone, "Swimming is the one subject he does really well in." Neither Aelita nor Ulrich cracked a smile and Odd muttered "tough crowd," while Aelita went back to Ulrich's test and Ulrich concentrated on his history lesson.

Outside, Jeremy jogged beside Yumi who evaluated his condition. He looked tired and his face was flushed, with sweat dripping down from his forehead and his hair matted with the salty liquid as well. His breathing was coming in a heavy pant and he was slowing down considerably. She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, "Ok Jeremy, time to stop."

He looked up at her as she slowed to a stop, "I failed, didn't I?"

Yumi looked away and held her stopwatch so that she could see the display in the sunlight. The device told the tale plainly. It wasn't failing based on the posted standards, but it was well below average. If combined with the record of absences Jeremy had piled up however, Jim would probably be within his authority to give Jeremy a failing grade. But she wasn't about to tell him that and answered based solely on the posted standards. "No, you didn't."

Jeremy looked back at the running track, "What aren't you telling me, I know my performance hasn't improved that much." He looked back up at Yumi, his words having come out harsher than he expected.

She looked back into his eyes with a calming expression that exuded _settle down_; _everything will be just fine_, and answered as carefully as she could. "Jeremy, you have improved but, even though you would pass based on the posted standards-"

"But with my absences..." Jeremy let his voice trail off.

Yumi nodded, "But I'm sure we can convince Jim to pass you, and all the teachers will line up behind that too."

"Thanks Yumi," Jeremy replied, though his voice suggested that he wasn't exactly convinced of that.

"Go on up to the dorms, shower and change, then come meet us for dinner. I'll talk to everyone about what we can do to help you out with Jim." Yumi watched him walk a few steps in the right direction then called out to him, "Jeremy, I mean it; we'll get you through gym class. Just get showered, changed and relax for a bit."

_Relax?_ Jeremy thought to himself, h_ow am I supposed to do that?_

It was about 45 minutes after he had left the track when Odd came into Jeremy's room, positively giddy about something. "Guess what?" Odd asked jovially.

Jeremy saved and closed the window he had open in two swift movements then turned his chair to face the blond and purple-haired boy. "The menu changed and they're serving mashed potatoes," he answered somewhat darkly, not in the mood to be joking around.

Odd frowned, underwhelmed with Jeremy's lack of enthusiasm, "No!" He giggled a bit, "It's good news about your Gym class."

Jeremy brightened and noted the arrival of the rest of his friends. They had a slightly horrified look from the moment they noticed that Odd had beaten them to Jeremy. Aelita rushed to Jeremy's side, her glare at Odd demanding that he do this kindly. He smiled at her before making the grand announcement. "We convinced Jim to give you two evaluations and." He made a drum roll type noise, obviously enjoying every second of this despite the deadly look Aelita was throwing at him. "Jim has agreed to _mistakenly_ grade your exams as if you were a girl." He grinned at Jeremy's stricken and humiliated expression.

"Odd." Ulrich snapped at the grinning blond boy.

"What?" Odd asked amusedly, "I thought Jeremy would be happy knowing that his best friends were looking out for him and had gotten him an easier way to pass gym, lumping him in with the weaker sex and all."

Yumi and Aelita both scowled and Odd gulped. "Weaker. Sex?" Yumi asked in an angry tone.

Odd looked to Ulrich who held up his hands and backed away. "Sorry good buddy," Ulrich said with some sarcasm, "but you're on your own with that."

Aelita grabbed Jeremy and tugged on his arm, brushing past Odd as she left Jeremy's room with him in tow. "I think we'll go out for dinner."

Ulrich hesitated a moment then spoke, "Yumi, want to skip Kadic's cafeteria food for tonight?"

She gave a last, angry look at Odd, "Yeah."

"Hey, what about me?" Odd called after the retreating groups of two.

"Left all alone?" Sissi answered as she walked in, having seen the general retreat but not really knowing what happened. "I guess you can join Herve and I in the cafeteria." Odd nodded, and headed out the door, closing it behind him. "So what happened?" Odd sighed and began to explain how nobody could take a joke.

Jeremy picked at his food after the waiter had left, and considered his situation. He was the weak link in his pack, and it really hurt knowing how everything everybody had worked so hard for could come down to him and that he'd blow it. A look around the table revealed worried faces and he forced a smile that he didn't feel before he picked up the pace at which he was eating. They didn't need to worry about him now; finals were in a week after all.

Aelita watched Jeremy with a worried expression as he ate, not at all convinced. "Jeremy, you always managed to pull through in the past and, despite Odd's torment, the compromise we worked out is a good one."

"Besides, your grade isn't worth my soccer prowess to Jim. He'll pass you just to keep me on the team." Ulrich added.

Jeremy groaned and Yumi spoke up, "Don't give up on us Jeremy. You know we'll do everything we can for you. Heck, I'll even superglue Odd's mouth shut if he decides to tease you again."

Jeremy cracked a smile, but his "thanks guys" seemed to lack genuine hope. However, as the foursome continued to make small talk, Jeremy's face brightened. A curl of steam from the kitchen got his mind thinking along a track that Aelita and Yumi probably wouldn't like. But they'd like losing Ulrich even less. Of course, the plan would take some work, but there would be time after everyone's session in the library for programming, and after their date tomorrow as well.

[[[[]]]]

**Factory, Computer lab, Saturday 9:30 PM:** Jeremy watched as Aelita walked out of the elevator and wondered if he would rather have had the upcoming fight on the phone. She hadn't exactly been happy when she came looking for him a little bit after they had broken up the group study for the evening and he wasn't in his room. "Jeremy, you can't just use Lyoko to get through this. However much you don't like it, you'll just have to do your best in gym class and..." Aelita's voice trailed off, unsure of what would be a good way to end that sentence.

Jeremy sighed dramatically, "I'm not up for the quote, special, end-quote, exam that will help make up for my absences. And after all the work Ulrich and Odd put into catching up, I can't fail either."

"But Jeremy, it's only one of our classes and-"

"And Ulrich's father, if he's anything like Ulrich says he is, will use my poor performance as an excuse to pull him from school."

"You don't know that!" Aelita cried, "And we don't know what kind of effects having a specter on your body may have. We already know it can kill a person."

"Ulrich's father sounds like the type who will use any excuse he can to screw over Ulrich." Jeremy shook his head angrily, "I can't let myself be that reason, I can't fail any of you and unless I do this, I will."

"Jeremy," Aelita shouted back, "you are too damn stubborn. Do you not see how much Ulrich and Odd have accomplished because of you! Ulrich's father will do what he does, but no one is going to hold that against you. _You_ did everything you could."

Jeremy looked at the supercomputer, no longer able to stare into the intensity of Aelita's glare. He thought back to the beginning, when Yumi had led him here after his parents had refused his request for yet more robot parts. Because of the supercomputer, he had Aelita, the best friends a guy could ask for, Ulrich's greatly improved grades, and any number of chances to perfect their arguments for Ulrich later. With the power of Lyoko, he could easily ace the fitness exam. "Look Aelita, you had no qualms about using Lyoko as a study hall, no issues with doubling Ulrich's study time with return trips and no trouble using it as a playground. What's so wrong about boosting my strength and stamina so that I can pass a gym test?"

Aelita stared into the back of Jeremy's head for a few seconds, her eyes boring into him like lasers. Then she turned to face the supercomputer terminal, wondering what it was Jeremy was thinking. When he suddenly started speaking she jumped then listened, hearing the frustration in his voice as well as his words. _At least he isn't shouting_, she thought to herself as she considered his point. But there was still the issue of the danger his plan would present. "Jeremy, Lyoko and return trips are mostly known quantities but the one and only time we used the supercomputer to enhance Odd, he nearly died. Do you really think I want to see that happen to you?"

Jeremy turned back towards Aelita, a note of pleading in his voice as he argued. "Odd was nearly killed because of XANA taking over the tower, without that, Odd would have been fine."

"You can't know that, what if there's a bug in your code, a glitch in the tower's code, sabotage that XANA left behind as a last memento of his death?"

Jeremy's brow creased in concentration as he considered, then dismissed Aelita's point. Well not so much as dismissed but decided it was both a risk that could be mitigated and one that was worth taking. "If it'll make you feel better I can stay up and double check the tower code and energy projection hardware before I try anything."

"That's not the point!" Aelita yelled before she caught herself and reigned her voice in. "You don't have anything to prove, all of us, me especially, love you just as you are and we want you safe and happy."

Jeremy forced his voice to a reasonable level to match Aelita's. "That isn't the point and I know that, about all of you. But I don't think it's too big a risk and aside for the double checking of code, all the programs I need are done so it's not a big deal."

"Maybe the coding is fine," Aelita answered, deciding to concede the point as it was an argument she wasn't likely to win. "But what about the other effects? You'd be powered far beyond a normal human and you'd have pixelation when you used your powers or if you hit something."

Jeremy looked down, he had truthfully forgotten that. But it wasn't like it was a major setback; after all he'd handled bigger problems already. Looking back up, he spoke with confidence. "I can fix that, dial down the power and modify the stabilization programs for the projection systems."

Aelita looked thoughtfully at the computer terminal, her mind already considering how that might be accomplished. She quashed the thought, messing with those programs wouldn't be minor work and it had profound implications for the safety of Jeremy's plan. Fresh anger started to burn its way into her consciousness and she took an argumentative tone, "You can't just modify those programs overnight, they're critical to safety."

"They just need a little tweaking." Jeremy argued back, "besides, if you're scared of it then have a look through the code when I'm done and verify my modifications. Make any corrections you feel need to be made or tell me what you see wrong with the programs and I'll correct the issues."

Aelita stared at him, slightly taken aback at the concession he was offering. But doubt nagged at her, mostly her concern that the few days they had to pull this off wouldn't be enough time. She forced a bigger smile than she really felt like giving, but then frowned as she realized that Jeremy would see right through her if she simply pointed out too many concerns for him to correct. "Jeremy, I still don't think you should go through with this. We already have Jim's concession and the other teachers and staff pulling for you, we don't need to take this risk. There simply isn't enough time."

Jeremy stared back, disbelieving that she was refusing the offer to work with him on this. "Then I'll do it on my own," he huffed. As Aelita walked away, he was already regretting the argument and, even more, was starting to feel her concern as his own. Sitting back in the big chair after hearing the elevator carry Aelita away from him, he worked on code that grew increasingly complex as the hours scrolled by. He sighed, the idea that Aelita was right growing ever more apparent. But if she helped, he was certain that together, they'd be able to handle it. It was a big if though.

Several hours later, Jeremy found himself sneaking back onto the darkened campus. It was after curfew, but not so late that Aelita would kill him over it. Squinting through the darkness, he noticed no one in the hall and darted to his room. A look at the clock revealed an unpleasant truth; it was 1:30 in the morning already. Maybe Aelita would kill him over his late return if she found out about it. He settled into bed and tried not to think about anything, needing to get as much rest as he could so he didn't appear too tired in the morning.

[[[[[]]]]]

**Kadic Academy, Dorm building, Aelita's Room, Sunday 10:39 AM:** Aelita looked up from her desk and rubbed at her eyes, trying to make the painfully pointless words swimming on her retina go away. She had been working on coming up with a better way of helping Ulrich and Odd memorize their history lessons and it was getting to her. She spared a thought for Jeremy, on the school's track with Yumi working on getting ready for Jim's evaluation. Ulrich and Odd were supposed to be studying on their own. William was on the phone with his parents, or so he answered when she asked if he needed any help via text message. Herve was working with Sissi in the library, or at least that was the plan.

Whoever knocked at her door did so again, a little harder this time. She got up, walked to the door and opened it, her mouth curving into a frown as she saw who was there. She stood her ground, refusing to admit the admittedly apologetic looking blond and purple-haired boy into her room. "Yes Odd?" She asked in a voice that was a bit gruffer than she really intended.

"I wanted to apologize for yesterday."

_Yesterday? _She thought to herself. And then this morning's Kadic newspaper flashed into her mind and she glared at the blond and purple-haired boy standing in her doorway. She had been trying to forget about that, and about all the laughing about her boyfriend that was going on behind his back. Only one person in her group, Sissi no longer counted as a threat, would leak Jeremy's gym class compromise to the press for a laugh after all. "Go ahead." She answered as she crossed her arms over her chest and remained firmly in place.

"I really didn't mean to hurt either you or Jeremy, I just... I thought we all needed a laugh and-"

"Thought that making Jeremy the laughing stock of the school by leaking that story to Milly and Tamiya would be a good laugh?"

Odd let his head drop. "I didn't give the story to them, but they probably overheard me teasing Jeremy about it," he answered sheepishly.

Aelita looked him over, trying to determine if his shame was real or just an act designed to get her sympathy. After a moment's hesitation, she decided that he was telling the truth and stepped aside to let him into her room. It was not entirely enough to save him however, and after closing the door behind him she let him have a taste of her fury, "Do you have any idea how hard it will be to talk him out of this now that everyone at school thinks he could be the reason Ulrich gets kicked out? One member of the soccer team actually threatened him this morning! Threatened. Him. As if the self-inflicted pressure he felt to use a specter wasn't already enough you've done this!"

Odd looked genuinely shocked, and he actually recoiled a bit at her tone. She wasn't quite shouting, but she clearly wasn't happy either. Once again, he failed to meet her eyes when he spoke. "Aelita, I'm sorry, I didn't realize..." He looked away and then back up, fixing his eyes on Aelita's bed. "But why not let him use a specter?" He asked nervously.

Aelita snapped a reply immediately. "Do you remember what happened to you when we used a specter on you?"

"XANA nearly killed me." Odd answered with a nonchalant shrug, remembering his time as a superhuman fondly. "No XANA, no danger. Right?"

"ARRRG. Jeremy's hung out around you too much. It's not that simple to avoid his being... boosted... being caught. Or have you forgotten about the pixelation effects when superpowers are used? And that's assuming that the tower system wasn't damaged or sabotaged AND that changing the code to reduce those effects doesn't have unwanted side effects."

Odd absently nodded, thinking that perhaps she and Jeremy had had this fight before. But if that was the case, all it took was a little suggestive language and Jeremy was about as pliable as modeling clay. "Well then simply tell him he can't do that. And if that doesn't work, you still have two options. One, he's powerless to resist your feminine charms and two, you can threaten to leave him for me." Odd noted the look on Aelita's face and suddenly found himself looking for any sort of cover he could find because the normally docile girl in front of him looked like she was ready to tear him to shreds. "It was just a joke," he tried to sooth weakly as she advanced and he backed away.

[[[[[[]]]]]]

**Kadic Academy, running track, Sunday 10:39 AM:** Jeremy walked, as fast as his tired and aching legs would let him, beside Yumi on the outdoor running track. The cool air was welcome as it hit his flushed face and drew away the heat. He wiped at his forehead to prevent the sweat from dripping into his eyes. Yumi looked down at him, the sound of his panting the loudest thing around them both, then looked at the dorm building and hoped Ulrich was doing well on his homework. She turned her attention back to Jeremy, "so what is going on between you and Aelita?"

"Nothing, just a disagreement."

"Over what? She's been mad at you and hadn't recovered until earlier and now she seems mad again."

Jeremy sighed as he formed an answer, his words coming between gulps of air. "I wanted... to form a... program to... use a specter... to minimally... boost my... athletic ability."

"You what!"

"Look at... me. I'm the... weak link... in this group."

Yumi stopped, grabbed his shoulder and spun him around to face her. He tensed visibly and waited for the hammer to fall. Her own expression softened, "Jeremy, you're not the weak link. And didn't we go over this already? You'll get through gym as long as you show up and try."

"Getting through... isn't enough..." He looked up; glad that she hadn't been here earlier when Kadic's newspaper had made the rounds.

"You know Jeremy," Yumi shook her head, "I could be mad at you. Maybe I _should_ be mad at you for wanting to risk yourself like this. You do remember Odd right?" When Jeremy nodded she continued, "But I'm also impressed that you're here, working out with me rather than being at the factory, working on that program." She gauged his expression for a moment and then realized that he was planning on doing both. This, now that she thought about it, was probably why Aelita was upset with him. Really, it begged the next question. "Why?" She demanded of the genius.

"Aelita's right, I can't rely on the supercomputer to make everything better. But I need to pass this without doubt and..." He hesitated, but then decided that he could risk telling Yumi this. "I guess I need the challenge too. Dating Aelita is better than I'd imagined and helping Ulrich and even Odd isn't bad but, there's nothing on campus that's as challenging as the supercomputer."

Yumi snorted and then laughed, "You're the only one I know who would find the answer to too much studying in computer code."

"Hey," Jeremy answered, not really feeling offended by Yumi's words as he might if anyone else had said them. "There's real beauty in code that complex."

"And there's the fact that the computer got you Aelita, Ulrich and yes, even Odd. But the supercomputer has a dark side as well, and Aelita wants to keep you from becoming like her father, or even suffering like you did when you had no choice but to fight for her with programs."

Jeremy looked at Yumi and considered protesting, telling her that he was in no danger of becoming like Aelita's father. He didn't have the government after him, didn't have a missing and probably dead wife to worry about. But he had Ulrich, along with the rest of the group, to worry over. That, coupled with his natural instinct to work as hard as possible to protect his friends from everything that could hurt them, was slowly leading him down that path. Aelita hadn't completely convinced him that they couldn't make all the modifications in time, nor had she even given it an honest try yet. Both items combined to make it difficult for him to accept that he didn't have to use the supercomputer to pass his upcoming test.

Then he had the article shoved into his face and the entire school population staring at him, talking and laughing behind his back. It was humiliating to be snickered at and being made fun of because he was weak dragged up memories he didn't want to recall. The threat from one student just made things worse, one of his friends would end up in trouble to defend him in all likelihood.

"Jeremy?"

Yumi's concerned voice broke through his thoughts. He focused back on her, his blue eyes taking on a much less haunted, vacant look. "I guess I should just bear with the teasing huh?" He asked absently, betraying his thoughts. "After all, Odd did after Sissi got her revenge."

"Yeah." Yumi answered supportively, "And I hope you realize something. You aren't weak."

Jeremy tilted his head, genuinely curious how Yumi could come to that conclusion.

"You faced an awful lot just to get us through, and sleepless nights spent worrying about the ones you love are just as draining as fighting XANA's monsters. Not everyone would have had the guts to keep working when the problems seemed so insurmountable. But in this case, a program won't solve the problem. We've trusted in you when we couldn't do anything but watch you work and hope for the best. Now it's time to trust us, to let the solution we worked out for you take its course."

Jeremy nodded then looked towards the dorms. "I don't like sitting around and hoping for the best when I could be fighting."

"I know Jer, believe me I know." Yumi looked towards the dorms, "I think that's enough for today, go and see Aelita. Apologize for fighting and say hi for me."

"Tell Ulrich hi from me when you see him."

Yumi smiled and blushed slightly as she walked with Jeremy towards the dorm building.

[[[[[[[]]]]]]]

**Kadic Academy, Dorm building, Aelita's room, Sunday 10:44 AM:** "Aelita, lighten up, it was just a joke."

"A joke, Odd! I should try to seduce Jeremy into doing what I want, or just throw him away like so much garbage because he disagrees with me on an issue! That's what you call a JOKE!"

"Come on Aelita, I didn't mean it like that." Odd pleaded as he back into a corner.

"No Odd, you did. But now that you actually have to face the consequences of it, you don't want to. All you've ever been is a selfish ass, do you realize that?" She answered angrily as he squished himself into a corner.

Odd looked around, desperate for escape, and not just from her. She was right about him, he only rarely thought about others, and usually only after he'd hurt them badly. Looking back down at the floor, and on some level wondering if he'd be able to identify every strand of carpet on her floor after today, he answered sheepishly, "and now you know why I tried to jump off the factory roof."

Aelita stopped in mid step, and slowly unclenched her fists as she put her foot down to simply stand. "What?" Her voice had dwindled to just above a whisper as memories she didn't want flooded through her.

"I jumped because I figured everyone was better off without me, that it would be easier without me around to hold everyone back."

Aelita's glare softened as sympathy replaced rage. _How many times had Jeremy thought she'd be better off without him? And how many times did she think the same, that everyone else would be better off without her?_ It had been so much easier to hear and simply dismiss those words the first time she had heard them from him. Probably because she was just glad he was alive at the time. She closed her eyes against the emotions she felt and spoke, her voice laced with pain and sympathy. "Odd, we wouldn't be better off without you. You... you take things too far but even Jeremy would admit that we couldn't have made it through without you." She opened her eyes and saw that Odd was looking up at her with a genuinely contrite, but grateful, expression. "We aren't just toys for your amusement Odd and you need to learn that before you push us away for good, or we do the same."

Odd forced a weak smile and nodded. "I know..." He waited while Aelita took a step towards him then took her hand when she extended it and used it to pull himself up. "Aelita, Jeremy doesn't mean any harm with his program, but he's afraid of letting everyone down." Odd looked down at the floor again, sounding shamed and remorseful as he continued. "Especially after this morning. The supercomputer is his mechanism for coping and the one thing he can count on to get through this. For as much as I've made fun of him for not wanting to be in the middle of the action all the time, he's not afraid to do what he needs to for the rest of us."

Aelita sighed, "It's one of his best and worst traits. Just like your paradoxical caring lack of care is for you. But how do I help him get through this? It's a direct attack on his biggest weakness, both actual and imagined."

Odd looked up, his expression brightening. "Stand by him, encourage him to stand up for himself, even defend him some if the situation calls for it. If you really don't want him to work on the program then find something else to re-direct his nervous energy, maybe ask him to show you how to build a robot."

Aelita's face seemed to brighten and she smiled, "I think I'd like that, I've never built anything like the robots I've seen of Jeremy's and I've always been curious as to how he does it."

"So ask," Odd stated lightly "it's not like he wouldn't jump at the chance and you know that once he got absorbed in it he'd forget about his troubles."

Aelita nodded excitedly and grinned, everything from earlier forgotten. "Thanks Odd." She leaned forward and gave him a peck on the forehead.

"Can I get a _real_, fake kiss?" He asked lightheartedly after positioning himself where he had a clear run to the door, "since you did threaten to kill me earlier."

"Don't push it, Odd." She responded in a falsely dangerous voice.

"Please?" Odd pleaded, using a puppy's wide eyed expression to beg.

"Get out before I change my mind about beating you to a pulp." Aelita replied through her laughter.

She walked back to her desk and sat down, hearing the door close softly as Odd left. She went back to her papers, her mind now elsewhere as she reflected on the boy who had just left. Only about a minute after he had left though, Odd poked his head through the door. "Princess?"

She looked up and at her door, cracked open to half admit Odd back into her room. "Yes Odd?"

"Why didn't you ever get that upset with Jeremy after all the times he blew you off or neglected you, or hurt you?"

Aelita paused for only a fraction of a second, "because it was always easy to see that his heart was in the right place, even if his actions were hurtful or wrong." She answered honestly. "He rarely seemed as selfish, and even when he was, it never seemed malicious. He either didn't understand what was going on, with himself and what he was feeling, with me and what I was feeling, or he was simply overwhelmed by my fight."

"Our fight." Odd corrected. "It was never just Jeremy fighting alone."

"Wasn't it?" Aelita asked with a note of sorrow. "I'm the only one besides Jeremy who wrote any code or analyzed any data. We needed your silliness in a way Odd, but you, Yumi, Ulrich and I on Lyoko only ever delayed XANA's victory. A tower deactivation was nothing more than a draw with XANA and after that it was back to Jeremy to solve the problem while we all played."

"You needed to have your life, if you didn't it wouldn't have been worth the fight."

"Not even Jeremy would disagree with you Odd. But there's no such thing as a free lunch, it was on Jeremy's shoulders that we all dumped responsibility for XANA's defeat. He deserved far more understanding than you, than all of us really, ever gave him."

"Jeremy did that willingly, he even enjoyed it." Odd answered, sounding a little needy.

"Not as much as he'd have enjoyed learning to live with the rest of you guys." Jeremy answered from the otherwise deserted hallway. "But it had to be done. Just like you had to make sure we never took anything too seriously."

Aelita smiled, "Hey Jer." She turned her attention back to Odd, "Odd, we all still love you, even me, but your antics make it easy to get really mad at you."

"And your personality makes it easy to forgive you, mostly." Jeremy added.

Odd backed out of Aelita's room and left, saying "I don't think I'm needed here anymore." Jeremy simply nodded as he walked into the room and closed the door.

[[[[[[[[]]]]]]]]

**Kadic Academy, Dorm building, Ulrich's room, Sunday 10:57 AM:** "No, and for the last time they are not losers!" Ulrich shouted into the phone. "My progress report for this week did not say that! Do you even read the damn things!... I got a 94 percent on that quiz... I know it's not as good as Jeremy or Aelita... Odd! Yes, I know he only got an 81 percent... He isn't a troublemaker and without his humor I wouldn't have survived any of this... You know what, Mom didn't get straight A's either... No I'm not... But... Oh come on, Jeremy is a genius not... He'll pass damn it..." Ulrich's voice got lower and more respectful, "no no no, I'm grateful for."

Yumi watched as Ulrich glared at his phone with disgust before throwing it on the bed with a loud, aggravated noise. He sighed and slumped into his seat, massaging his temples and she took the opportunity to walk over to him, careful to be as silent as she could manage. Though she felt guilty over listening in to Ulrich's half of the conversation with his father, she was glad to be here. Blushing, and looking over her shoulder nervously, she gently put her hands on Ulrich's shoulder and began to massage them. They were hard as rocks, tension and worry having obviously taken their toll on his body.

Ulrich looked up, seeing that Yumi's cheeks had a red coloring that matched his own. But the attention to his shoulders was undeniably good even though he wasn't quite comfortable with sharing physical affection. This, and some encouragement from Odd, Jeremy and Aelita, was going a long way towards alleviating that however.

"So, not a good conversation with your father?"

"Are they ever?"

"No." Yumi replied sadly, "so what was it this time?"

Ulrich faced back towards the desk, his neck growing tired of holding his head up and twisted so that he could look behind himself to see Yumi. Her not being able to see his expression helped him feel a little more comfortable as he told her about the usual stuff, how his grades weren't good enough and Odd's grades were abysmal. Then he lowered his voice and explained that somehow his father had found out about Jeremy's attendance record for gym class. 'My son is not going to be friends with a flunky,' Ulrich mocked his father's voice.

Yumi was startled a bit and it showed as her hands clenched on Ulrich's shoulders for a second or two. "Jeremy does not find out about that."

"Find out about what?" Odd asked, sounding rather curious as he walked into the room without having knocked.

"That Ulrich's father knows about Jeremy's absences in gym class." Yumi answered with a threatening look. "This is serious Odd, Jeremy's already worried enough and he doesn't need to know about this."

Odd nodded, "yeah, I know. Aelita just chewed me out after I agreed with Jeremy's desire to use the supercomputer and then gave her a joking suggestion on how to deal with that since she didn't want him to."

Ulrich rolled his eyes and barely managed to avoid voicing his initial thought. Instead he went with, "Knowing what you would suggest, you probably deserved it." Yumi laughed, apparently thinking along the same lines he was.

Odd simply made a face, "well I did manage to make a reasonable suggestion. Which reminds me, if you need either Jeremy or Aelita, they'll be in the electronics lab after Jeremy takes a shower." Pointedly tracing his eyes down Yumi's arms and to where her hands were still on Ulrich's shoulders, he added, "I think I'll gather my stuff and go to the library to study with Sissi and Herve."

"Do you think he'll really keep a secret?" Yumi asked as she watched Odd gently close the door as he left?

"Of course." Ulrich replied, though he wasn't sure if Yumi meant the secret about Jeremy or the two of them. "Yumi?" he started, feeling more than a little embarrassed. "Do you think you could continue with my shoulders?"

"Um... Yeah sure." She replied, sounding happier than she really wanted to. Well, happier than she wanted anyone else who might come in hear her being anyway. She really was thrilled that Ulrich had told her about his phone call with his father without an argument or a fight. Further, she was glad he'd asked her to continue the massage; he didn't need to be afraid of asking her for comfort since she was his girlfriend after all. She did wish, however, that her happiness came without the burning sensation in her cheeks as she blushed. But that would come with time.

* * *

Well, another chapter done and out the proverbial door. Hope everyone enjoyed it.

**Dances with pride:** Who are you? Commando Wolf and I wrote the chapter, and I did the editing as well. Regarding Odd, I doubt it. He's just not ready for any sort of serious relationship and he's already dated and alienated all the girls in his grade and probably any female of eligible age would know that he's just not a good date.

**LyokoDragon:** It's a long enough story as is and I want it over, not longer. Sorry, no Samantha. Hiroki and Milly isn't a bad idea, but those characters just don't figure into the story in a big enough way to pair them. Sorry.

**Krem:** Are you sure it's not number 2? But seriously, Commando Wolf and I do manage to write pretty similarly and I polished her sections a bit to make them feel more like my voice. Glad you're still enjoying my story.

**Peter Kim:** I don't think they will be giving her a full education on Lyoko and its capabilities. Lyoko won't really be factoring into the much anymore. At least as I'm thinking it'll go right now.

**Spyrofan777:** I stand by that pairing as one that isn't normally considered and thus interesting. however I don't really plan to have it take too much of the spotlight.


	21. Day of reckoning

**Kadic Academy, Running track, Wednesday 4:10 PM:** Jeremy looked nervously at the field, the place where he'd have his first test and where, to his utter humiliation, he would be scored as a female. He looked down, his grey sweatshirt and pants a contrast against the green grass of the playing field that was set inside the light brown oval running track. He felt utterly unprepared and worse, he didn't have the specter program to augment his abilities so he was on his own, with only his friend's deal to work with. It was, in short, terrifying and was making him wonder if this was how the others felt when they had to depend solely on his programming skills to survive. Jim's voice cut through his thinking like a grenade would have and he snapped his head up to face the towering teacher.

"Jeremy! Since we are all outside for this afternoon's game, you will be doing a test of your physical condition."

Jeremy nodded weakly and wanted to simply wither under Jim's intense glare, but he couldn't. Ulrich and the rest were counting on him to pass this test. He stole a quick glance at Aelita, trying desperately to ignore the sinking feeling as he looked over the collection of faces.

Jim glanced at Jeremy and then over where the running track met the grass, "That is where we'll be conducting the running portion of your test." He looked over the rest of the class and noticed Jeremy starting to head towards the edge of the field. "After you perform your initial warm up stretches with the rest of the class," Jim added gruffly.

Jeremy snapped his head back to Jim when he started speaking, but not before catching Aelita's wink at him from the corner of his eye. He smiled slightly and began to walk to the track's edge so that he would be out of the way of the other students and their game. Jim's second statement caused him stop in his tracks then reluctantly head back towards the group.

"You should be grateful," Aelita whispered to him when he got close enough, "if you hadn't done your stretches and Yumi found out, she would have killed you."

Jeremy nodded, recalling Yumi's parting advice before she separated to go to her next class. She had reminded him to stretch out before beginning the test and that if he hurt himself because he didn't, she would be severely disappointed. But he really had wanted to skip that step; it was just a waste of energy that he doubted he had to spare. Nonetheless he did as he was told, not wanting to risk his grade being lowered for disobeying the instructions. Only after the 10 minutes of stretches had passed did he get to go the edge of the running track where he had to wait for Jim to explain the soccer game he was having the other students play while he administered Jeremy's test.

That task done, Jim looked at his clip board and fumbled with his stop watch for a moment before walking over to Jeremy and ordering him to begin the test. He watched closely as Jeremy assumed a proper position for the push-ups, started the stopwatch and shouted "go!"

Jeremy began the exercise, lowering his body to the ground and then pushing with his arms to raise his body back up until they were once again straight. Jim watched, barking at Jeremy to keep his form proper and counting off only the properly done push-ups. Jeremy was starting to groan with the effort that it was taking for him to keep up the rhythm and his repetitions were getting slower with each one until he finally missed three beeps, having failed to completely do a push-up in proper form and rhythm three consecutive times. Jim scribbled down something, stopped his watch and called Jeremy to halt his exercise.

Jeremy collapsed on the ground panting and allowed himself to rest for a minute. That one test has pushed him pretty hard, but not so much that he couldn't continue. His arms felt sore however, and he knew that it was only the beginning. While he took his moment of rest, Jim looked back towards the middle of the field, silently taking note that the soccer game was still progressing. He turned back towards Jeremy, his silent glare urging the boy up before he had to yell. Jeremy pulled himself into position for sit-ups and Jim knelt down to hold his feet still.

Sixty seconds later, it was over and Jeremy could feel the burning of his sore muscles as he sat on the ground panting. Jim shook his head slightly and marked Jeremy's score on the clipboard. "Ok Jeremy, time to run. You'll be doing a 1 mile run in the shortest time you can manage. GO!"

Jeremy picked himself up, groaning at the effort it required and stepped onto the track, looking down the orange length of the straight section. He needed 8 laps to make his mile run and he was on the clock again. He began at a fast pace, running as if being chased by XANA for many seconds before recalling Yumi's advice, that pacing himself was going to be the best strategy. Slowing down to a more reasonable jog, Jeremy attempted to maintain that pace.

But as he made his fifth circuit, he could feel his legs burning along with the rest of his body, and he wanted to stop. Jogging along a track by himself was incredibly boring and he almost longed to be part of the soccer game if he was going to be forced to run. At least in the game there would be company and a goal to focus on, anything other than the mindless orange surface, the white stripes that marked it, his sore muscles and his fears of inadequacy. He glanced over to the playing field and caught site of Ulrich, the boy's words floating to his mind from their resting place in his memory. "There's no easy answer or magic solution, just get out there and do it. If you have to, imagine XANA chasing you, or Aelita in danger. You can take so much more than you ever thought with only a reason to continue."

Other memories came to the surface, of Ulrich and Yumi getting up after bone shattering blows from XANA to continue fighting. He knew that what they had been through was much worse than what he was experiencing right now. In fact, even the thought of complaining made him seem pathetic in comparison. Ignoring his protesting legs, he picked up his pace, determined to finish this in a respectable time at any cost.

"STOP!" Jim called out as Jeremy passed him for the eighth time. He pressed the stop button on the stopwatch and wrote down the time it displayed, seeming mildly impressed.

"Now..." He stopped and looked around seemingly confused until he spied the bleachers. "Now, we need to see about doing some pull-ups."

Jeremy walked with Jim, staring at the bleachers as though they had just become some sort of torture instrument. Two students abandoned the soccer game, curious as to where Jim was leading Jeremy and what was going to happen. After they had left the field without getting caught, more students walked towards the bleachers until finally everyone was headed over to watch. They saw Jim lift Jeremy up so that he could grab a cross bar that was otherwise higher than the boy could reach.

Jeremy felt his arms stretch as they took his weight and, since he was facing into the bleachers, didn't see the crowd that was slowly gathering behind him. He focused on his task, instead of his surroundings, and forced his arms to pull himself up. It was much more effort than a push-up as he strained to himself towards the bar. Much more slowly than he wanted, his head inched up towards the bar; the strain and effort plain on his face for anybody under the bleachers to see. He tuned out the commotion behind him and focused on pulling himself over the bar.

Odd watched as Jim turned towards the gathered crowd and glared at them, silently demanding that the students return to their game. Most ignored him, gawking at Jeremy and whispering amongst themselves. While Jim started issuing commands for the mob to return to the playing field, Odd slipped out of the crowd and ducted under the bleachers. He moved until he was facing Jeremy, seeing the boy's face contorted with the strain he was inflicting on himself and colored cherry red by his effort. With a nice smirk, he raised his camera phone and whispered, "Say cheese."

"GET BACK TO THE FIELD NOW!" Jim finally bellowed at the mulling students. "Go before I fail each and every one of you."

That seemed to do the trick, and as Ulrich returned to the playing field, the rest of the class followed. Odd slipped out from the bleachers and joined the retreating group. Aelita meanwhile lingered behind, still watching her boyfriend push himself for every centimeter of height he could manage. He had made it far enough up that the top of his head was level with the crossbar he was holding on to, and she couldn't help but feel proud of him. Sure both Odd and Ulrich would have easily done full pull-ups by now, but this was Jeremy and he was doing better than she had expected.

Just as Jim turned to her, probably with the intent of demanding that she go back with the other students, she heard a grunt from Jeremy and then saw his strength fail him. His body dropped and wrenched his hands free of the bar he had been holding, allowing him to fall to the ground with a light crunch. Ignoring Jim's glare and acting faster than he could, she ran to Jeremy's side and began helping him up, alert for any signs of injury.

"Stones," Jim barked, causing them to separate, "Get to the soccer game on the double."

"Yes sir." Aelita replied, still seeming reluctant to leave Jeremy behind.

Jim glanced back at Jeremy, asking him if he was hurt and giving him a moment to recover.

"I'm fine Jim." Jeremy assured him as he picked himself up with groan of pain. He noticed Aelita walking slowly towards the field and hastened to catch up with her.

Aelita walked with Jeremy after he caught up, conscious that Jim was following close behind, and wondered why he couldn't have been given another few minutes or even a pass on the rest of the class. But Jeremy didn't, and probably wouldn't, ask. Nor would he be willing to accept if she asked for him. He wanted to make a good impression to help make up for his absences and she understood, even if she could still blame him for trying to push himself too hard. "Don't get yourself hurt." She whispered to Jeremy before they rejoined the rest of the class.

A while later, Jim's whistle to signal the end of class was quite possibly the most welcome sound Jeremy had heard all day. He wiped the sweat off of his brow and began the slow walk back to the building, noting that his friends were heading towards him. Odd made it over first, looking him over for a moment then asking "So Jeremy, how was your first real workout? Different from being on the computer all day, wasn't it?"

"Aww come on Odd, lay off of him." Ulrich defended his heavily panting friend.

"What?" Odd answered with a shrug, "It was just a question."

"Tiring," Jeremy answered as Aelita walked up, "but worth it if I pass."

"Ulrich will certainly agree when he's spending his time in Yumi's arms!" Odd exclaimed, drawing a blush from Ulrich. "Doubt he'll-"

"Odd!" Ulrich called sharply, in an attempt to avoid whatever embarrassing thing the blond was going to say.

"What's so wrong with being in the arms of the girl you love?" Aelita asked as she bumped her side against Jeremy and slung an arm around his neck.

"Nothing." Ulrich answered, snickering as Aelita crinkled her nose and withdrew from Jeremy. "But that doesn't mean I like Odd teasing me about it."

Odd put his hands on Ulrich's shoulders in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture. "I'm just trying to make sure you and Yumi enjoy what we're all working so hard to make happen, good buddy."

"And trying to make the most of their discomfort?" Jeremy asked after stealing a glance at Aelita. He faced back forward, realizing that he really needed a shower and that's why Aelita had so softly recoiled from him.

"Trying to get them over it." Odd replied with some indignation.

"You could always tease Herve and Sissi." Ulrich replied.

"Oh no you don't." Aelita warned upon seeing Odd look around for the aforementioned couple with a predatory smile, "Sissi's old _friends_ are already giving her and Herve enough grief."

Odd's smile fell as he swallowed the taunt he was thinking of when Sissi and Herve joined the foursome on their way back to the school. He greeted them with a cordial hello instead and then turned his attention back to Jeremy. "Going to catch up to Jim and see how you did, Ms. Belpois?" He paused a second then added, "Or should that be Mrs.?" Odd grinned at the couple then took off running as they glared at him, daring Jeremy to chase if he was able.

"Oh that's right, Jeremy's only hope of- Umph" Herve started to sneer before being elbowed, and not very gently, by Sissi.

"Herve, why don't you go get a shower and meet me for dinner." Sissi said after he'd recovered. Once he was out of earshot, she turned towards Jeremy and considered a moment then asked hesitantly "So, still think you should have activated that tower?"

Aelita turned her head, looking expectantly at Jeremy. She was over her anger, at least for the most part, but she was also still wondering about that.

Ulrich simply groaned, wondering if he was about to witness another fight.

With an apologetic look at Aelita, Jeremy answered honestly. "Yeah, I do. Even with just a fraction of the tower's power, I could have done so much better." He looked down at himself, "Or at least not felt like this afterwards."

Ulrich spoke quickly, not giving anyone a chance to speak. "It's normal to feel tired and achy, especially after doing so much after so little physical activity."

Jeremy shook his head in disgust, and Aelita opened her mouth to say something but Sissi cut her off. "What would a tower have done anyway?" She asked, genuinely curious but also trying to follow Ulrich's lead.

"It would have boosted his strength and stamina to superhuman levels but posed a risk of killing him, getting my secret exposed, or causing some other kind of harm we don't know of." Aelita snapped before continuing more gently, "but if it didn't, Jeremy wouldn't feel anywhere near this bad after gym class and he would have had much higher scores." She poked him gently in the side then sniffed the air and made a show of crinkling her nose, "And he'd smell much better."

"Hey, I don't smell that bad."

"Hate to break it to you but yeah, you actually do," Ulrich teased before breaking into a run. "And you'll just have to endure it for a while longer." He added, calling over his shoulder.

Sissi watched him go for a moment then turned to Aelita with a slightly cruel smile, "Well if the guy who rooms with Odd said Jeremy stinks, then Jeremy must really stink."

Aelita chuckled, "Seriously, it's not that bad while I can hold my breath."

"Funny." Jeremy deadpanned. Somewhere in the background, he could hear the band's drummer play 'ba-dum tss' and made a mental note to kill the drummer when he was done with his shower.

"Oh lighten up..." Aelita replied, punching him playfully in the shoulder, "Get yourself a shower and come find me when you're done." She walked a few paces ahead with Sissi but then looked over her shoulder and realized that she may be taking this whole thing too far since he seemed to be sulking. She stopped and let him catch up, glanced around and slipped her hand into his. "I'm just playing..." She stopped as Jeremy squeezed her hand and walked the rest of the way to the dorms with him.

When Jeremy entered his room she turned around, intent on heading up to her room to grab her shower kit and a change of clothes. But as she walked away from Jeremy's room, she noticed Jim heading for his room with the clipboard from class. Curious as to why he hadn't headed right for his office in the Administration building after class, she approached him. "Jim?"

Jim turned the key to his lock and opened the door before turning towards Aelita looking slightly startled, "Oh, Uh... Ms Stones, what can I do for you?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you," she answered with a bit of a frown, "but I was curious if you could give me an early look at Jeremy's grades." She looked pointedly at the clip board and Jim spoke up before she could ask anything else.

"You know that I can't discuss another student's grades with another student, it's a matter of, Uh... Teacher student confidentiality. Kind of like when I worked at a hospital and couldn't talk about the patients."

Aelita looked the large man over once, quirking a light pink eyebrow in amusement, "You worked in a hospital?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Of course." Aelita answered kindly, still hoping for a peek at Jeremy's scores. "But this is different. See Yumi and I agreed to be Jeremy's personal trainers and we need to see his official scores in order to better train Jeremy. You wouldn't have prevented one doctor from finding out something about another doctor's patient, right?"

Jim frowned, and a confused expression appeared on his face for a moment as he grappled with Aelita's logic. After a moment's deliberation he sighed and handed the clipboard over to Aelita then somewhat sheepishly told her to wait while he went into his room. About seven minutes later he came out with a ragged looking collection of papers and began paging through them. His expression brightened as he handed the bundle to Aelita, folded so that the list of scores and percentiles for female teenagers was on top.

Aelita leaned her back against the wall and began comparing Jim's scribbled notes against the printed charts, awkwardly fumbling with the paper when she had to turn the pages while still holding the clipboard. He placed just under the 80th percentile for push-ups, 65th percentile for sit-ups, 75th percentile for the mile run and around the 60th percentile for pull-ups.

Out of curiosity, she flipped the charts to the boys and shuddered, he had come in 30th, 30th, 35th, and 10th for boys. Though she did suspect that Jeremy might have been able to do a pull up if he had been fresh instead of tired from the previous tests. It was a dismal showing but not unexpected and certainly not something she would even consider holding against him. Unfortunately, even his scores as a female would rank a C if they were averaged as test scores. It was obviously better than failing, but Jeremy wouldn't be happy with it. She frowned as she gave the clipboard and charts back to Jim. "So he's earned a B?" She asked hopefully.

Jim gave another confused look to Aelita before answering. "Um... Yeah, I suppose he could have... I haven't looked at where he would place."

"80, 65, 75, and 60." She answered quickly, "Above average in all categories and he still managed to play the game with the rest of the class after he was done with your test." _Though it wasn't exactly a shining performance,_ she admitted to herself.

Jim looked over the numbers for just a minute then looked down at Aelita and shook his head before scribbling down a note on the clipboard. "Yeah sure, he earned a B," Jim answered, seemingly relieved at having not had to do any calculations on his own.

"Thanks Jim." Aelita answered happily before she turned away and started down the hall, headed towards the stairwell. As she headed up the stairs, she couldn't help but wonder if she could have talked Jim into giving Jeremy an A. But it was no use second guessing that now and her mind turned to making sure they all made the most of the remaining study time before exams.

[[[[[]]]]]

**Kadic Academy, Ulrich and Odd's room, Sunday 9:33 PM:** Ulrich double checked his set of folders, making sure that everything he needed for tomorrow's test was present and accounted for. On his desk were a colorful array of folders, one for each subject. Each contained only a handful of items: Fresh lined paper, fresh graph paper, a working pen and a couple of freshly sharpened pencils in a plastic pouch. In other words, the sum total of what was allowed in the classroom during exams. He collected them all and shoved them into his empty back-pack before searching his desk for the calculator he was allowed to have on the math and science tests. He smiled, seeing a note that was more Jeremy than Aelita written in Aelita's neat cursive taped to the lid.

_Ulrich,_

_You'll find all the functions and programs you're allowed to use on the math test under the menu Meyer and all the functions and programs you're allowed to use during the science exam under the menu Hertz._

Good luck,

_Jeremy and Aelita_

"That's our two geniuses," Yumi said as she read the note, "always looking for a way to help."

Ulrich looked up and quickly turned around, surprised by Yumi's presence since he hadn't heard her come in. "Yeah." Ulrich replied as he grabbed and held up a bright red folder that contained the set of study guides the pair had created for each member of the group save themselves, "it is." The packets were customized based on a practice exam that had been administered on Lyoko and contained concepts and examples that they hadn't gotten as well as suggestions for taking the tests based on how they did the exam on Lyoko.

"You didn't find it kind of creepy, them observing us like some sort of lab rats?" Odd asked despite wanting to make a discrete exit to give the two lovebirds some privacy.

"You didn't even know they were watching us until after they told us about it." Yumi replied.

"Besides, you're only upset because Sissi got a higher grade than you." Ulrich added casually.

"By two points." Odd defended, "and I still contend that it was a trick question that got me."

"Odd, the answer to the sample test question you gave me," Ulrich pulled the red folder out and looked it over, reading the question out loud: "Solve [2x-y+3z = 8], [x-6y-z = 0], and [-6x+3y+9z= 24] for X, Y and Z, is wrong. Your x value is off by at least 3."

"Oh..."

"... You spent 10 minutes plugging in every number and trying to see if it worked, right?"

"Yes..."

Yumi sighed wearily and pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger while the pair argued.

[[[[[]]]]]

One stressful, worrisome week later and exams were over, though as they waited in the hall to be let into the conference room, a particular group of seven students still radiated pre-exam tension. The reason was simple, and almost everyone at school knew why. Beyond the closed door was Ulrich's father. The demon that Ulrich had had to live with all of his life but which all of them now had to face together.

Aelita took Jeremy's hand and squeezed it, unaware that Yumi did the same thing with Ulrich. Odd looked up from this game system, the handheld device currently offering him an escape from thinking about the meeting that loomed ahead. Beside him, sitting on the floor cross-legged was William. The black haired teen looked bored, glancing down the hallways as if he intended to make a thorough inspection of every single sound he heard despite not moving from his spot.

Sissi stood beside William and like him was looking rather bored as she leaned against the wall. She considered what Ulrich's father may be like while she waited, trying to recall everything she had learned about him. Odd had summed the man up in one word: Evil. Jeremy had the practical angles already figured out though: Mr. Stern was a high income and powerful attorney in the corporate world. He specialized in defending corporations from liability suits brought on by both legitimate and illegitimate causes.

Yumi had put Ulrich's father into more emotional terms, summarizing him as very cold and distant. And indeed, the very few times Ulrich's father had visited the school that's exactly how he had come off. But looking back on her own life before joining the group, Sissi realized that Ulrich's father believed himself superior. No one else, possibly including his only child, was worthy of his respect. If Ulrich wanted that, he'd have to earn on his father's terms. It was a very much like the way she once treated everyone around the school, and it was simply wrong for family to treat one another that way.

Ulrich blushed as he felt Yumi take his hand into hers, the gesture spreading pleasant warmth up his arm. He smiled briefly to her when she squeezed gently then frowned as the worry reasserted itself. If this didn't go well it would be his last day at Kadic and no matter how much the others tried to reassure him, that fact weighted heavily on his mind. He glanced around, seeing Jeremy and Aelita standing next to one another, Odd leaning against the wall, William sitting on the floor and Sissi standing next to him. When his father had first sent him here, he would never have guessed that these people would be his best friends. Now he didn't want to imagine life without them, yet that was the prospect he was facing as the clack of shoes against the tile floor caught the attention of every student. With an efficient motion, Mr. Delmas' secretary opened the door to admit the gathered students. She smiled as they all filed in, seemingly unaffected by the standing tension.

[[[[[]]]]]

First impressions. Despite going straight to the principal's office before being led to the conference room where he would be meeting with his son, Henric Stern had still managed to gather some vital information about the school. For one thing the grounds looked nicely maintained, the buildings seeming in good condition despite their age and the courtyard was clean and tidy despite the students who used the area on a daily basis. He could say less for some of the staff, but then again those who stayed in academics had to have something off about them in the first place. Overall, it wasn't a bad place but the fact that it allowed students like those Ulrich choose to surround himself with was a very big black mark, no matter how much the principal or his son disagreed.

Still, his wife's arguing and his son's threat of extreme embarrassment had compelled him to come here and see what those students had that made both the principal and his son so defensive of them. From what information he was able to collect, Jeremy Belpois was a borderline genius, having failed an intelligence test designed to see if he could be moved to a more challenging school but still getting straight A's. He was also French and born to a moderately wealthy family that had no trouble affording the boarding school they sent their son to.

The next file he had seen was that of Yumi Ishiyama. She was a Japanese student who lived at home rather than boarding at the school. One year ahead of Ulrich, she had okay grades but, like the rest of Ulrich's group, had piled up the absences. Then there was Ulrich's roommate, Odd Della Robbia. With mediocre grades, absences, and numerous marks for bad behavior Odd was trouble.

The last member of Ulrich's friends, and the one with the shortest record, was Aelita Stones. She was a boarder with no living family, her expenses being paid by some sort of scholarship. Her good grades couldn't make up for the fact that she was a charity case that Ulrich should never have been associated with. Sure, charity cases could do wonders in the media if your company had a bad rap, but other than that they were a waste of resources. He was certain he'd taught his son better than to associate with such people unless-

The sound of the conference room door being opened interrupted his thoughts and he looked up to get his first look at the troublemakers his son associated with. Seven students filed in and split up, making their way along both sides of the long, rectangular table that occupied the center of the room. Noise filled the room as wheeled chairs were moved and the students took seats near the head of the table.

It wasn't the first time he'd actually seen the students, though it was the first time he would actually be interacting with them so he stood up straight to demonstrate that he was the authority figure in the room and that he was the one in control. A small smile of satisfaction was offered to each student, the practiced smile to put them at ease while he noted the tension that was present on every single body that walked through the door. The fact that they all seemed to understand the gravity of the situation was definitely a good thing, it showed that maybe they had some potential.

He gave a very slight, disgusted shake of his head at the thought, hopefully not enough to catch the attention of any of the students. The opinion had been his wife's, and Ulrich's of course, but none of the students now taking their seats at the table had yet earned such respect from him. On the basis of the written reports that their teachers filed she believed that there was still hope for Ulrich and his friends. Exactly how much hope remained to be determined. People could do amazing things when put under pressure, but so often they couldn't sustain that sort of performance.

Noticing that the room was quieting down, Mr. Stern calmly sat down and took one more moment to gaze around the room. He could see the pink haired girl leaving less space between herself and the blond haired boy wearing the blue shirt than the others chose to leave themselves. The boy and girl after that seemed to sit apart from the others, almost as if they didn't feel they belonged. On the other side of the table there was his son and next to him was a blacked haired Asian teen that seemed to be offering looks of support to him. Next to her was a gay looking, scrawny boy who obviously loved the color purple a little too much.

Principal Delmas watched Ulrich's father as he finished scanning the assembled teens and gently cleared his throat, capturing the attention of the room. With all eyes on him he began to make the introductions, hopefully the first stage of convincing the man to allow his son to remain at Kadic. He gestured to Jeremy, who stood up and offered his hand to Mr. Stern. "This is Jeremy, our top student here and one of the young men and woman who have been helping your son achieve the remarkable improvement we've witnessed."

Jeremy suppressed the urge to wince as Mr. Stern squeezed his hand in an overly firm handshake and tried not to wither under the man's gaze. But projecting self confidence wasn't a trait that Jeremy excelled at and while he managed to remain looking into Henric's face, he didn't fully meet his eyes as he offered a somewhat meek sounding greeting. After giving a curt nod of acknowledgement, the tall man turned his attention to Aelita, leaving Jeremy feeling like he had just failed a test.

Aelita stood up next, her eyes holding some smoldering resentment over the way Mr. Stern was trying to dominate and intimidate the group. She locked her gaze with his briefly as she leaned slightly to offer her hand. He shook it much more delicately than he had Jeremy's, but his eyes were cold and calculating; it was as if he was sizing her up for value. The thought was uncomfortable and she shivered slightly. While Principal Delmas moved on to introduce William she sat down and looked over at Ulrich, sharing a sympathetic look with him.

William stood up and looked up at Mr. Stern, hoping that he was doing a good job of hiding his usual lack of care for authority figures. It wasn't for Ulrich of course, but Yumi would never forgive him if he was the reason that Ulrich failed this meeting. But there was more than that at stake too. This group of people was finally starting to accept him and he was starting to like how that felt. So for the sake of his new friendship he forced a cordial smile and nodded politely. However, as he sat down he couldn't help but wonder how this was going to go. Ulrich's dad seemed like the father of the girl that got him kicked out of his last school, completely convinced that he was right and everybody else had to be wrong.

Sissi stood up, resisting the almost over-powering urge to correct her father when he used her full name, and offered the same sort of polite nod that William had. The man she once hoped would be her father-in-law returned the nod and offered a slight, but respectful smile in return. The gesture seemed to be more than any of the others had gotten and she glanced briefly at her father out of habit, wondering if she was merely the recipient of social grace that Ulrich's father thought was required rather than something she was entitled to.

Which she, as she sat down and watched the next introduction, realized was the most likely answer. There had been many kids over the years that gave her a sort of grudging respect because she was the head master's daughter and so she recognized the look. At one time she welcomed it, considering it a mark of her own superiority. Right now however, it was insulting to think that the only thing that made her worth more than the others gathered in this room was that she was the principal's daughter.

Odd stood up and looked directly into Henric Stern's eyes as he extended his hand across the table to shake. A sense of righteous anger burned in his eyes and he didn't care if the overbearing and frankly terrible father could see it. The man deserved to know that not everyone would be intimidated into meek submission and that someone would fight back. However as the man's eyes continued to bore into him with relentless intensity and condemnation Odd couldn't help but wonder if he was helping or hurting Ulrich. He let his gaze shift, giving up the staring contest, and sat back down, feeling defeated.

Yumi stood up and offered a firm handshake, while maintaining a respectful pose and expression. It was easy to see where Ulrich got his good looks from; his father was tall and lean without looking weak. But his expression seemed... severe, though not quite. He carried a cordial enough expression but it was off, like it was forced for a sinister purpose. She forced her own smile as she realized that Ulrich's father was looking her over more closely than he had the others; she worried about what was going on inside of the man's head.

Mr. Stern sat back down and maintained proper posture while he let the teens in the room consider their first encounter with him. None of them had done much to dispel is initial assessment of them, which was a bad sign overall. Aelita was prettier than he'd originally expected, though she seemed completely attached to Jeremy and thus had nothing to really offer Ulrich. Even worse, she had given a pitying look to Ulrich. There was no way someone who was literally dependent on the charity of others should pity Ulrich. Though the purple clad boy he roomed with did come close to inspiring pity. Odd looked every bit as stupid as his record made him out to be and further, he looked gay as well. It wasn't exactly a winning combination.

Yumi on the other hand, looked like she might have a bit of potential. She was definitely unnerved by the way he had stared at her, but unlike some of the other women he had to negotiate against, she managed to hold her ground despite it. If it wasn't likely to cause embarrassing problems with the school's headmaster, he would have been inclined to continue staring to see how she handled it. As it was, he had to settle for wondering how much of Yumi's average grades and long string of absences were related to the others and how much was her fault. She was the oldest of the group after all, and she should have kept the others in line and on task.

Mr. Delmas watched with a measure of concern as Ulrich's father settled back down after the introductions were complete and opened the folder he brought. Each teenager looked somewhat unsettled by the meeting so far and worst of all, the man had not even bothered to recognize his son. Instead he was letting the silence stretch out as he reviewed the paperwork containing Ulrich's test results and evaluation reports; work which should already have been done at home with his wife.

Ulrich watched his father page through the chronologically ordered reports on him and his progress with growing dread. His hope for a quote unquote fair trial was sinking fast and he glanced around the room, his eyes kept low and his expression apologetic. Yumi reached out under the table and grasped Ulrich's hand, squeezing it tight as a gesture of support. He glanced over and smiled gratefully as he squeezed her hand back.

Henric waited just a little bit longer continuing to discreetly observe the room as the assembled group stewed in their worries and fears while he pretended to be unprepared yet supremely confident. As a negotiating tactic it had worked wonders in the past and it was yielding fruit here and now as well. His son glanced around the room, looking to each of his friends with a pitiful expression. The black-haired girl he came in with and sat down next to offered him something to make him smile briefly. They were probably holding hands just out of sight of the table.

"Well Ulrich," his father started as he slowly closed the folder he'd brought, "it looks like you've actually managed an improvement." _Now if only you had demonstrated more independence, _he added to himself with the intention of bringing that up later.

Ulrich lightly sighed in relief, quickly covering it up with a cough as he saw his father raise an eyebrow in amusement.

"I mean... thank you, dad" Ulrich mumbled, still in disbelief at his luck.

"I must say," he continued, straightening his tie and giving his son a slight smile. "Your improvements have shown me that you are quite capable of handling matters, such as dealing with higher levels of math. I am sure you will be able to handle Pre-Calculus well next year."

Ulrich's face visibly paled.

"But don't think you'll get off that easy just yet" Henric continued as he ignored his son's reaction to the thought of Calculus, instead tenting his fingers and clearing his throat. "There are still some matters I need to discuss with you."

"Uh oh..." he faintly heard Odd whisper to Jeremy.

"Shut it" Jeremy harshly whispered back, indicating to Ulrich's father with his darting blue pupils.

Henric glanced between Odd and Jeremy without moving anything but his eyes then looked back to Ulrich and continued as though nothing had happened. "One thing I've noticed about your academic ability is how it correlates to your social behavior..." here, he paused dramatically, looking at each and every one of his son's friends.

Jeremie tugged the neck of his turtleneck anxiously, Aelita bit her bottom lip nervously, Yumi squeezed Ulrich's hand just a little tighter, and Odd's eyes were glazed over, already thinking of how everything could go wrong in a single instant. _If _XANA was still alive right now, he would have initiated an attack at this opportune moment and forced the Lyoko Warriors to bail out of the room and potentially earn themselves demerits- or worse, detention. However, a XANA attack was starting to sound better than sitting in an ugly, cramped room waiting for Henric's judgment on his son.

"I believe that you are being too dependent on these friends of yours." He intoned, casually leaning back on his chair. "Though I am... _pleased_... with the amount of progress that you've made so far, I don't think it is enough, nor do I accept the way it was achieved."

Both Jeremy and Yumi bristled with anger, knowing just how much work Ulrich put into this, not to mention their own. Both held their tongue however, and were amazed that Odd did as well. Ulrich on the other hand...

"What do you mean?" Ulrich all but growled; Henric's pleasant demeanor slid into one of the most infuriated frowns Ulrich had ever seen.

"I do not expect you to talk like that to me, young man." he scolded, glaring his teenage son in his eyes.

Ulrich didn't even flinch, just continued to fixate his pupils on his father's own hollow black ones. Years of being derogated endlessly by his very own father had been negated by his success as a Lyoko warrior and he had finally gathered enough courage to speak out against unfair actions. After all the near-death incidents XANA had created, speaking with his father now seemed like a pebble in comparison to a mountain.

"I didn't realize that asking you a reasonable question was considered talking," the German boy responded coldly.

"Perhaps it is your friends' fault that you are acting this way." Henric mused idly, sizing each and every one of the Lyoko Warriors up and including Sissi in the inspection as well.

William opened his mouth and moved to say something to intervene, but Ulrich had already beat him to the punch, hands shaking with pure rage. Principal Delmas rose from his seat at the same time.

"Maybe it was the way you and mom brought me up" Ulrich snapped, grossly disliking how his father always put down his friends every time he visited Kadic Academy for the academic review.

Henric narrowed his eyes in response before uttering a low, sinister chuckle that sent chills up everybody's spines.

Jean Pierre Delmas nervously shifted his weight from one foot to another, anxiously smoothing his pressed suit as he tried to disguise his trembling hands from the authoritarian man. Sweat beaded on his forehead- never before had he had an encounter with such savagery or malevolent behavior presented in the young Mr. Stern's father. What the man was capable of, he did not yet know. All he knew was his impressive records as a student and how it was every parent's wish to see their children grow up and become successful- no matter what the cost was.

"Good news..." Henric whispered in a smooth, dark voice, very different from how anybody in the room had ever heard him speak. "I just figured out how to resolve this situation"

"Mr. Stern" Jean began, trying to defuse the situation.

"I noticed your friends are quite an... amusing collection," he continued, ignoring the principal. "And until now, I have never... discovered... a solution to this little problem."

Sissi and the Lyoko Warriors shuddered involuntarily at the sound of his voice; Mr. Delmas kept attempting to interrupt, but neither warring party paid the poor man any attention.

_'Don't do anything stupid, Ulrich' _Sissi thought, noticing the familiar sights of what might soon be an all out brawl.

_'Go get him, Ulrich!' _William mentally cheered, knowing how tenacious his former rival was.

"Take for example, your friends over here. They're not helping you at all. Why, I'm not even sure if this young lad named... Jeremy even has the brainpower to figure out what two plus two is." Jeremie narrowed his eyes at the comment. "I have recently looked through his records and found that he had in fact, failed miserably on a test that would have transferred him to a special school for excellent students. In addition, your odd friend seems to be one of the most idiotic-"

"RAH!" Ulrich angrily howled, ripping himself from Yumi's grasp and launching himself at his father with a hand curled into a fist. "That's it!"

He wanted to make him suffer for all the times he had beaten him nearly into unconsciousness for his repeated abysmal grades when he had studied until he nearly collapsed from exhaustion. He could not see anything but his pompous, snide father, nor hear the desperate cries of his friends and the principal, nor could he think rationally. All that mattered was paying his father back what he owed.

"Ulrich, no!" Jeremy shouted, springing out of his seat to restrain the frothing mad teenager.

"Lemme go, Jeremy! I have a score to settle with him" Ulrich snarled, tugging at his entangled arm like a caged wild animal; for a guy that never worked out, Jeremy had a much stronger grip than he originally thought.

"Sit down, everybody!" Mr. Delmas's voice clearly rang over the brouhaha, fixing the students and especially Mr. Stern a cold, hard glare. "As the principal of this establishment, it is my job to keep everything in order, not to supervise a group of people acting like they were two years old!"

"Then that is another area you have excelled in as well" Henric commented sarcastically, giving the elderly man a derisive smirk. "Your employment position as the principal of this... _fine_... school is no longer paramount."

Mr. Delmas shot icy daggers at Mr. Stern, but it had no effect on the cool, calculating man. Jean seethed quietly in anger, but tried not to show it; how dare that man insult his position at one of France's finest academies for grade and primary school education!

"Ulrich," he continued in a more serious tone, bluntly abandoning the smoother, dark voice he had favored earlier in the conversation. "You can't even defend your honor or your friends... another failure I have to add to your three mile long list of delinquency. How are you going to survive in life!"

"He has friends!" Jeremie interjected loudly, causing the scolding man to whip around and face him.

"Friends?" Mr. Stern asked, thoughtfully rubbing his chin with a sinister smirk plastered on his face while looking at each teenager in turn. "How can you call yourselves friends of Ulrich when all you've brought him is poor grades and bad classroom reports?"

Odd looked up angrily, "We gave him a family that loved him, that offered support and understanding instead of constant judgment. We showed him fun and-"

"FUN!" Mr. Stern interrupted with a roar, "What use is fun when he can't get a job, hmm? Will you be supporting him for the rest of your life?"

"Yes!" Odd answered, puffing his chest and sticking his chin out defiantly, "If I had to, I would do it."

Henric Stern laughed, "How? What will you be able to do to afford to feed and house two people when all you do is slack off?"

"Odd won't have to support Ulrich," Aelita interjected, "Ulrich is taking his schoolwork seriously now and he has all the incentive he needs to succeed."

"What might that be, young lady?" Mr. Stern asked, sounding genuinely curious. "And what evidence do you have to support your claim?"

Aelita looked between Ulrich and Yumi then spoke, sounding less sure of herself under Mr. Stern's harsh gaze. "He has Yumi to build a life with."

Ulrich's father snorted loudly with derision, causing Aelita to look to away in shame. She could feel the hot tears beginning to build up and tried to hold them back, but one crystal-like tear cascaded down reddened cheeks. Weakness was never a good thing to let an enraged tyrant see. Though she was never usually this emotional, it pained her to see how easily he dismissed their arguments, treated his son like dirt, and still had the guts to rant on and on about how worthless he, his friends, and this school were.

"You really think you're good enough for my son?" He demanded of Yumi, having turned away from Aelita just before she had started to cry.

"Yumi is kind and understanding," Jeremy spoke up for his friend, forcing a calm, businesslike manner, "and she's the type who will defend those she cares about no matter what. If Ulrich was my son, she would the type of woman I'd want him to date." Yumi threw a glare at Jeremy, angry that he would feel the need to defend her.

Henric's eyes darted back and forth, his mind processing information at speeds that would daunt even the most powerful computer. Finally, the grin appeared again, and with venom in every word, he spoke them crystal clear, not even bothering to disguise his immense satisfaction.

"You will go to the military school I had attended when I was your age. Perhaps they will instill a sense of respect for your elders into your head and teach you what real discipline and life is like."

Ulrich nearly choked as he exerted every ounce of his will to hold back his overwhelming rage. The Lyoko Warriors exchanged worried glances with each other; Yumi squeezed Ulrich's hand until her knuckles turned white and the German boy hissed in pain.

"I was a lad just like you were- a bumbling, infantile boy with childish imaginations in my head." Henric continued, ignoring the reactions of his unwilling audience. "Look at me now!" he crowed, pulling back a sleeve to display some muscle growth. "I am independent, and I didn't need any friends to get to where I am now. I toughed it out to become one of the top students in the school, treated the weaklings like the scum they were, and... convinced my fellow classmates to back off if they had-" he paused, and snickered to himself, leaving everybody to imagine how ruthless Henric was even as a young adult. "Aspirations." He finished with a cruel look.

Yumi and Sissi both inhaled sharply at how merciless their friend's father was. Odd growled under his breath, and William's eyebrows knitted together in anger. Jeremy furrowed his brow in concentration, his mind trying to figure out the best course of action.

"Academically, I see nothing in your friends to make me think for even one second that your success and foothold in life is guaranteed."

"Excuse me, _sir_" Jeremie rebutted, standing up and going nose to nose with the man. "But Aelita and I have been tutoring him and assisting him with his studies."

"Is that so?" Mr. Stern asked sarcastically, wondering what the point was.

"Yes" Jeremie responded firmly. "I, along with my compatriots in this very room, have supported Ulrich and given him a suitable environment in which he can succeed in. What do you, the very father of this boy you enjoy ranting about, know about the effort he exerted to do better academically, just so that he can please you?"

"I know enough" Henric responded coldly. "My son barely scraping a B in one of the easiest subjects for his grade level of this school... convinces me that he is not working to his full potential. I had expected straight A's. I may be strict to the point of being his personal drill Sargent, but at least I know how to straighten him up so that he'll have a fighting chance in life. It's more than you'll ever be able to give him."

"You'll fail." Jeremy stated forcefully, now in full military commander mode. He too had once treated his friends as though they were his personal pawns in his personal war. It rarely ever worked.

"Is that so." Henric Stern replied harshly, glaring down at the boy. "What makes you so sure of that."

"I know Ulrich better than you." Jeremy replied matter-of-factly without backing down. "He worked as hard as any of us have ever seen him and he did so for himself, and for us."

"Yet he stands there," Henrich answered the overly calm teenage, his voice seemingly rising with each word until he was yelling at the end; "Cowering behind you and your ilk, too timid to even be having this conversation with me himself and too stupid or lazy to have gotten good enough grades to avoid all of this in the first place!"

Jeremy flinched slightly, feeling a sudden wave of guilt. He pushed it away as quickly as he could and answered Henric's challenge heatedly. "Ulrich isn't stupid, and if you'd tried to encourage and help him rather than berate him you'd see that."

"And if Jeremy had let him punch you-" Odd started to say.

"He'd be unconscious." Henric interrupted confidently, turning a hard glare on the purpled-haired boy.

"So would you." Yumi replied with steel in her voice. William stood behind her to her left and Odd moved to stand behind her and just to her right.

"ENOUGH!" Principal Delmas screamed, capturing all the attention in the room. "How many times do I need to remind you that this is not-"

"None." Mr. Stern cut him off. "I'll be pulling Ulrich out of here just as soon as I can arrange a spot in the military academy." With that, he shot the teenagers in the room one final loathing look. Briskly striding from the room after that, he stopped just as he stepped outside the conference room, halted by Aelita's strained voice.

He regarded the girl, her wet eyes and puffy cheeks suggesting that she had been suppressing tears. Looking down at her, his expression holding impatience and not even a trace of sympathy he demanded an explanation for why she had told him to stop.

"We'll find a way to prevent this." Jeremy spoke before Aelita could answer. She glared at Jeremy then turned back to Ulrich's father.

"I'm the reason Ulrich doesn't have better grades." Her soft voice tore at the teenagers and principal in the room. But while Mr. Delmas was curious and the teenagers were horrified, Mr. Stern seemed to only grow more impatient as she continued. "Ulrich, everyone assembled here except for Sissi and William, had to give up study time and even cut classes to..." Her uncertainty caused her voice to falter as she felt the eyes of her family on her.

"Go on." Mr. Delmas prompted gently.

Aelita bit her lower lip again, suddenly having second thoughts. But she was root cause of this mess so it was her responsibility to do what she could to fix it. "Jeremy found me-"

"Yes I know," Ulrich's father interrupted harshly, "he found you on-line and got you some sort of scholarship and my son and the rest of the group have been supporting your almost worthless person at the cost of their own success. It's just one more good reason to get Ulrich out of here." With that Ulrich's father turned and strode away, leaving shocked silence in his wake.

Now that the threatening presence of his father was no longer in the room, Ulrich felt defeated. On one hand, his urge to denounce his father to everyone and watch his reaction when he came back to Kadic was checked by the possible consequences. On the other hand, he simply didn't know what to do or say anymore.

"Did you have to do that?" Ulrich moaned, breaking several long seconds of silence.

"A good leader never leaves his troops behind" Jeremy stated in a matter-of-fact tone, turning around to meet his friend in the eyes. "A good leader never lets his troops come under fire without any support."

"Yes." Aelita replied softly, her voice sounding strained. "I thought if your father knew he might blame me rather than you and he..."

"It's alright Aelita." Jeremy spoke gently as he put a hand on her shoulder.

Principal Delmas stood there, wondering just what Aelita had been about to say. He somehow doubted that she was going to rehash the story of how she'd come to be here. But Jeremy's touch and a few nods in his direction seemed to convince the pink-haired teenager to say nothing further. He sighed and looked around the room one more time then made a discreet exit, leaving the group to console their friend and each other. When he returned to his office he gave his secretary instructions to allow the teens to remain in the conference room for as long as they needed.

A big thank you goes out to Commando Wolf who wrote a good portion of this in a story-writing swap.

**Spyrofan777**: Thank you for the review and I'm glad you liked the chapter. As for Odd, I just don't think there is anyone left at Kadic who would be willing to date him. The other thing about Odd is that I don't think he wants any sort of 'real' relationship. He seems to be more interested in having an object that he can use for his own amusement rather than a girlfriend who he respects and understands and will actually treat well.

In regards to William, I just don't feel like trying to create an OC for him and since Sissi is taken by Herve now he won't get a girlfriend. The other thing with giving William a relationship is that I'd have to make more leaps on his personality since there isn't a whole lot to work with on the show.

**Krem**: Ironically, Odd is my least favorite character of the show and the one I find it hardest to write for. I tend to see him as selfish and uncaring more than anything else. Only after he's really hurt someone does he seem to develop any sense of caring about them. Not that that prevents him from being willing to protect them from physical or external harm. When I say he doesn't seem to care, I mean it doesn't matter to him what he does to his friends until he's forced to see them suffer because of it.

As for the rest of your review, the fact that it was a kids show was really limiting in many ways. Cursing is fairly common though I have to agree that with Aelita, it is severely out of place. She most likely would know the words and their meaning by this point, but she isn't likely to actually use them.

**YugiohObsessed**: Thank you for your review. I have heard about the 5th season, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Live action can very easily ruin the show and I'm uncertain as to what they'll do with the relationships.

**MoonlitxAngel**: Thank you for the review and for reading the drafts as I write them. I do hope things get better for you.


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